Possible but Not Always Easyfeatured

“What is impossible with man is possible with God.” Luke 18:27

Many of us take comfort from the verse above.  When God calls us to a challenging task, it is very comforting to know that He can make it possible.  I often leap to the assumption that if He calls me to do something, then He will make it quick and easy, smooth sailing, no storm clouds, no rough seas, no delays.  Hmmm, not so much! 

In His word, God has shown us that He makes possible what He has called us to, but the road to that possibility is often long and rough and sometimes dangerous.  Sometimes the tough times are of our own making and sometimes they are just part of living in a broken world.

God called David to be King of Israel.  The road from shepherd to King was long and difficult.  David had to deal with an intimidating giant and a mentally deranged incumbent along the way (read 1 Samuel 16 – 31 for details).  The Psalms are full of David’s cries to God for protection and wisdom to deal with the difficulties.  In His perfect timing, God made possible what He had promised to David.

God called Abraham to move from his homeland and establish His chosen people when Abe and Sarah had no children.  While Abraham obeyed God, he and Sarah became impatient with God’s timing and took matters into their own hands (Genesis 16).  The results of that misstep are still being played out in the Middle East.  Yet God was faithful, and the promised child came when Abraham was 100 years old.  The challenges continued for Abraham when God asked Him to sacrifice his treasured son, Isaac.  I can’t imagine how difficult it must have been for Abraham to respond in obedience to God, but his faith prevailed.  He told Isaac, “God Himself will provide the lamb…” (Genesis 22:8).   Despite his long and difficult journey, God made possible what He had promised Abraham.

Painting is hard for me, yet God has called me to do it.  I pray before I begin to paint asking God to guide me and for the painting to glorify Him.  My problem is that as I begin to paint, I begin to rely on my own inadequate skills and forget to include His Helper, the Holy Spirit, in the process.  Once I have a big, ugly mess on the canvas, I realize that I have forgotten to stay in step with Him.  Instead of my focus being on Him, it is on my own ideas and plans for the painting.  I can’t tell you how many times this has happened.  I know better, but I slip back into that behavior at the drop of a hat (or paintbrush!).

The painting above is an example.  I worked on the painting all morning yesterday and it was in a pretty good place, so I went on a walk.  On my walk I thought about how much I needed Him in my process of painting.  After the walk, I looked at the painting and decided it needed some tweaks.  I proceeded to tweak (with no thought of consulting with my Helper) until it was a total mess – aarrggh!l 

The Apostle Paul gives us the wisdom we need as God calls us to tasks that seem impossible.  In Galatians 5:25 he tells us, “Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” And in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 he instructs us to, “pray continually…”.  God will make the seemingly impossible possible if we will stay connected to Him.  Not just at the start of the journey, but at every step along the way.  In Ephesians 3:20, Paul explains that through God’s power at work in us, He can do immeasurably more than we ask or imagine.

By the way, after praying fervently for direction to deliver this painting from my misguided efforts, He was faithful to guide me to the painting that He had in mind.  As I was finishing it, I noticed that He had placed a figure in the center.  That figure looks like it is sitting in the midst of chaos, wondering what to do next.  You’ll notice that the figure is faced away from the light (upper left) that is available to provide the guidance needed.  I think God provided me with a painting of me!

Hopefully this will remind all of us that we can accomplish what seems impossible but only when walk in step with Him along the way.   [jetpack_subscription_form]