ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE

A few weeks ago I had a dream.  At least that’s what I would have to call it.  It was actually more like an interruption of a dream.  You know, like one of those public service announcements that come on the television in the middle of regular programming to warn of an imminent weather threat or an Amber alert.  I was dreaming about something completely unrelated (I can’t remember what) when a voice spoke to me in my dream and said, “All things are possible to them that believe.”  In my dream state, I remember being both surprised and inspired by the statement and being filled with faith at the possibilities of such a promise as this.  My excitement was so great that it woke me up and made me want to run out and apply my faith to everything I could think of!  Instead, I pondered over what I had heard and what God was speaking to me.

As I thought about this experience, I was reminded of two places in scripture that I believe relate to what I had heard.  The first was in Mark 9 where the statement actually occurs.  There, a man came to Jesus’ disciples for help.  His son was troubled by an evil spirit which would throw him violently to the ground from time to time and cause him to foam at the mouth.  For all their best efforts, Jesus’ disciples were unable to help the boy in any way.  This is when Jesus appeared on the scene.  After Jesus questioned the man about his son’s condition, the man begged Jesus saying, “...if Thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us.” (Mark 9:22).  Jesus then turned the tables on him and answered, “If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.” (verse 23). 

The question is never whether Jesus can do anything or not, it is whether or not we are willing to believe!  Jesus can do anything.  Most of us can acknowledge that easily enough.  Where we falter is in believing whether the Lord is willing to do it for us in particular.  The man’s response to Jesus’ words is one of the most honest in the New Testament.  The man cried out with tears and said, “Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.” (verse 24).  Like this desperate father, our own faith is usually a mix of believing yet needing our faith bolstered.  No one has all faith.  There are those things which we firmly believe and have learned to trust Christ for; and then there are those things which we have not learned to trust Him yet, but He wants to teach us.  Our faith is never static; it is always in flux, always being challenged and always trying to grow.  Like the mustard seed that Jesus described as being the smallest of seeds but which will grow into a great tree, our faith is meant to stretch and expand.  Yesterday, we may not have considered that the Lord can move a mountain for us, but today the Lord is challenging us to speak to that mountain and see it cast in the sea!  We all cry out with along with the desperate father, “Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.” 

While it is certainly true that all things are possible to him that believes, we have not yet learned how we may apply our faith in every area.  The Apostle Paul wrote, “I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.  I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.  I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” (Philippians 4:11-13).  Paul believed that he could do all things through Christ.  How did he come to such faith?  He learned from, and was instructed by, every hardship and every blessing that came his way.  “…every where and in all things” God was instructing him to be content, to believe in the strength that is in Christ, and not to rely on his own understanding.  

The other place in scripture that relates to believing that all things are possible is in the Gospel of Mark.  Jesus is praying in the Garden of Gethsemane and saying, “Abba, Father, all things are possible unto Thee; take away this cup from Me: nevertheless not what I will, but what Thou wilt.” (Mark 14:36).  Jesus first approaches God as His loving heavenly Father.  He then acknowledges that all things are possible for His Father to do.  He then makes His petition: “Take away this cup from Me.”  The cup that He was referring to was the cup of suffering and death that He was about to face.  We sometimes forget that Christ was in the flesh and therefore had to deal with the temptations and fears of the flesh.  He knew that God had a plan and purpose for His life and that that plan involved His death, but the flesh was seeking a way to avoid the suffering if possible.  Jesus’ last words, however, reveal His heart and the power of His resolve.  He said, “…nevertheless not what I will, but what Thou wilt.” 

When it comes right down to it, everything we ask God to do for us must pass through the filter of His will.  Our will is to always avoid any hardships, difficulties, heartaches, and suffering.  God’s will may include all of the above.  We find that our spirit may be willing, but our flesh is often very weak.  Our prayers are often self-centered and short-sighted and therefore go unanswered because we refuse to bend to or acknowledge God’s purpose and will.  We must all come to the place where we can pray from the heart, “not what I will, but what Thou wilt.”  This can be very difficult at times, but we can do all things through Christ Who strengthens us!

There are three steps that we must follow in order to understand God’s will and the path that we each must take in this life.  They are found in Proverbs chapter 3.  They are: first, “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart…”  We must understand and rest confidently in the fact that God can be trusted with our lives.  He is our Father and therefore has our best interest in mind. 

The next step is: “…lean not unto thine own understanding…”  Oh, how we like to figure things out!  We are all control freaks at heart.  We want to know where we’re going, how long it’s going to take us, and every detail of our journey along the way.  Our carnal minds cannot always grasp what God is doing, however, or the methods that He may use to work His will.  If we refuse to proceed until we understand every detail, we may be waiting for a long time.  Trusting and understanding are opposites.  If we understand, there is no need to trust.  If we trust, there is no need to understand.  Although God often reveals His plans to us through the Spirit, our faith does not rely on our understanding. 

The final step is: “In all thy ways acknowledge Him…”  We must learn to acknowledge the hand of God in our lives even when we can’t understand what He is doing.  To say, “Father, I know that You are in this even though I can’t see You right now,” reminds us that He is still on the throne, and that He still loves us and is looking out for us.  When Paul and Silas were cast into a Philippian dungeon right after being directed by a vision of God to go there, they could have become discouraged and doubtful about their path.  Instead, they raised their voices at midnight and prayed and sang praises to their heavenly Father.  They chose to acknowledge God in their difficult circumstance.  They believed that God had a purpose that they could not yet see.  Many souls were saved that night because they trusted and believed that God was still working even when they could not see it or understand what He was doing!  All things work together for good to them who love God and who are the called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28).

This word, “All things are possible to them that believe,” has stayed with me ever since I dreamed it.  It is a constant reminder to me to trust my Father in heaven and look for ways in which He is trying to stretch my faith.  I must remember that there are areas where I know I believe, but that there are also those where I need the Lord to help my unbelief.  I must learn to be content with His will in my life and realize that those things which are outside of His purpose will not be good for me in the grand scheme.  I must let go of the need to figure everything out and make decisions based solely on what I think I understand.  God is working, and I need to be content with that.  Finally, I must acknowledge the Lord in everything that happens to me.  I know that whatever God has spoken to me is true and faithful.  No matter what circumstances may change around me, His Word never will.  I can rest in that.  As I trust in that Word, then I know that anything is possible and I can expect the impossible!  I know also that God will make everything beautiful in His time!  Amen.