Where to Take the Impossible

Now Isaac pleaded with the LORD for his wife, because she was barren; and the LORD granted his plea, and Rebekah his wife conceived. Genesis 25:21 (New King James Version)

I have not faced the heartache of infertility but I have known some who have. The longing to have children and not be able to conceive can be excruciating for a couple going through it. They have no way of knowing if this will be a permanent situation for them or if eventually they will experience the joy of pregnancy and giving birth. It is a time when their longing is matched only by the fear of that longing not being fulfilled.

For Isaac and Rebekah, this uncertainty marked their first two decades as husband and wife. It was not a matter of simply giving it time. It was a matter of Rebekah being physically incapable of bearing a child. I cannot begin to imagine her sorrow during a time when a woman’s inability to conceive a child was viewed with such a social stigma. The impossibility of her situation made the sorrow all the deeper.

It was within this context that Isaac prayed to God on behalf of his wife…pleaded with God. Surely he recalled the account of God intervening for his mother when she was beyond the age of childbearing. His own conception came into the realm of what was physically impossible. Perhaps it was that piece of personal history that gave him the initiative, motivation, and confidence to pray for God to intervene once again. Isaac prayed, God granted his request, and Rebekah conceived. Impossibility is always the backdrop of every miracle and God Himself is the source of every miracle.

This is a biblical account that encourages my faith. Why? Because I know that I will face impossibilities from time to time and this reminds me where to take those impossibilities. Will God grant every request I bring to Him? No, but anytime He doesn’t will be met with grace and a fresh awareness that His ways and thoughts are higher than my own. His character is such that He always acts out of love and always does what is best for me. He knows my desires and needs in this life. I am free to bring those to Him and free to accept His answers to my prayers. Will God grant some of my requests? Absolutely! I have experienced such answers in the realm of finances, heart changes, job seeking, and various other arenas. Most recently I am witnessing His ability to shift my dependency off people and on to Himself. In my book THAT is something only He can do and impossible without Him.

Father, the examples of faith-walks in Scripture are numerous and lessons abound. Help me to live out of the truth of each. Amen.

What Faith Can Do - Kutless
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQp75TsnpSA

Getting into God's Word and letting God's Word get into me one truth at a time.