"That's impossible!" Did you ever hear that statement? I have. Many times. By many different people. Sometimes I even say it myself when someone declares they have a plan that is unrealistic. Sometimes I say it when I see something happen that's extraordinary.
One time I had a front row seat to watch a magician perform. I was within a few feet of him. He did some card tricks that I could only conclude, "That's impossible!" Of course, he must have used a very well practiced slight-of-hand. Still, I couldn't figure out how he did those tricks.
Illusionists can really be fascinating. They use trickery that plays on our visual perception. An illusion is something that appears to be real but it is not. Like an optical illusion. Illusionists present tricks which appear impossible.
In reality, what is really impossible are actions that defy or contradict the natural laws of nature and physics. For example, bringing a dead person back to life. That's impossible. Or calming a wild, raging sea by simply telling it to stop. Impossible. Or walking on water. Impossible. Someone floating weightlessly and ascending into the clouds. Impossible. Except for God.
A miracle is a deliberate action that defies the natural laws of nature and physics, and is caused solely by the power of God. Only by Divine intervention can a true miracle be carried out. Jesus, God in the flesh, performed countless miracles while He was on earth. He did things that were "impossible". In the Old Testament, God performed dozens of miracles directly or through people such as the prophets. Even today, God can intervene and perform miracles if He so chooses. Prayer can play a huge part in Divine intervention. I love it when doctors are baffled by someone who is terminally ill returns unexpectedly to full health through prayer.
On a lesser scale, sometimes we deal in situations in which the solutions seem impossible. It may be struggles with relationships, or finances, or circumstances. The so called miracles that we hope for are not in the scope of defying physics or nature, but are simply solutions that we personally can't seem to make happen. We need God's intervention. But here's the good news. He can do it.
Jesus said, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.” (Luke 18:27) In other words, our struggles may look impossible to resolve, and perhaps they are if we try to solve them on our own. But with prayer, and faith in God's power and intervention, He is able to work things out in our favor. And you know something? As faithful Christians, as Christ-followers, God promises this.
"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." (Romans 8:28)
Sometimes it's good to reflect on what God has done in our lives. Looking back on things that God has worked out in our past makes us realize that God truly loves and cares for us. And in more cases than not, through His great power, He not only works things out, but He does it beyond anything we could ever ask or imagine.
"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." (Ephesians 3:20-21)
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