I was listening to a sermon and the other day and Luke 1:37-38 was mentioned. This scripture challenged me, causing to me reflect upon my faith. After announcing to Mary that she is about to give birth to the Saviour of the world, the angel Garbiel says to Mary, 'For with God nothing will be impossible'. Not a problem. Not impossible. Children are born regularly. One born every minute! But Mary was a virgin. Then yes, okay, impossible!
This challenged me because how many times have I questioned things God is doing in my life? I recently went through some frustrations, not yet seeing things that I wanted to see. Situations looked differently to how I expected them. 'This is impossible!' I am often screaming! I hear God tugging on my heart leading in a certain direction. My response is, 'This is impossible!' If only I would believe that with God, nothing is impossible.
I was challenged even more so with Mary's response. 'Let it be to me according to your word.' Hold up! Before we start thinking about how lovely Mary's response was or let our imaginations wander and creatively think about how Mary then had a magnificent birth surrounded by encouraging people. Mary was a virgin! In their culture that did not mean Mary was going to be understood as they were expecting the Messiah. It meant that she could be stoned to death. Not being married, but betrothed (engaged) Joseph, could only mean one thing - adultery. If I was Mary my response would be far from, 'Let it be to me...'. I would be yelling about how I could die! Going off on a tangent how people will be talking about me, accusing me and I would be subject to the opinion of others. Not only would a baby seem impossible, but surviving the whole nine months would be impossible.
**No hope**
So I begin to pray about these impossible situations. Situations where I feel God has led me to where there is no way out. Reminds me of when Jesus and the disciples are out at sea. Jesus is taking them across to the other side. They follow their Teacher. All of a sudden a storm began to violently rock the boat. It's all good, the disciples have Jesus on their boat. But they forget who He is and say instead, 'Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing'. In my state of anxiety in what feels like impossible situations I have this perspective. God, do you not care that I may drown in depression, in pain, in hurt. And my prayer was more like this. God softly responds 'Build'. :/ Eh? What am I supposed to build in a hopeless situation?
**Build**
I am now hopeless and doubting where hope is. What I speak over the situation reflects that. Instead of speaking hope and life, I was speaking death. 'Lord, don't you care if I drown?' Who says I am going to drown?! So I began to think about what God could have meant by the word build. I was then reminded that scripture in Proverbs 14:1 'The wise woman builds her house,
But the foolish pulls it down with her hands.' A wise woman will build her house, but it is a foolish woman who pulls it down. I was pulling down mine with my negative words. Many people argue that positive words have a huge affect on our lives. God's Word also tells us this. We are told that death and life are in the power of the tongue. Our words should build up. So when God says build, I should be speaking life into the situation. Not fighting against where God is taking me, but staying committed the process knowing that when God is with me, nothing is impossible.
God has called us to great things, but we may have to walk through what seems impossible. Through God, the impossible becomes possible. Bitterness can turn into forgiveness, pain into healing and darkness into hope. God has given us everything we need, use that to build hope....
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