We all love the thrill of a last-minute rescue. Think about your favorite TV drama. Early in the plot, the hero is faced with overwhelming odds. In spite of his great skill and bravery, there comes a point where victory appears impossible. It looks like all is lost! Then, at the last-minute, there is an unexpected turn of events, and the hero wins the conflict or solves the crime. We knew all along that the hero would come out on top (there is another episode next week, after all!), but it’s still exciting to see how good guy wins.
We love the thrill of a good story, but here is an irony. We hate it when we have to face impossible odds ourselves. We usually respond to impossible-looking situations with anxious nail-biting, or worse. We may even wonder why God didn’t prevent the problem from happening in the first place.
TV is not the only place that we find unexpected plot twists. The Bible is also filled with exciting stories of last-minute rescues. Let me share two of them with you briefly.
Daniel faced an impossible-looking situation. (You can read this exciting story in Daniel Chapter 6). His home was Israel, but he was captured by the Babylonians and taken to their country (modern-day Iraq). Because Daniel was a man of unusual talent and integrity, he was given an important position serving King Darius. The King liked Daniel, but he was tricked into signing a law that made it illegal to pray to any god except the King. The punishment for disobeying the law was a night in a den of hungry lions.
Because Daniel continued to pray openly to the one true God, the King was forced to throw him into the lion’s den. That was definitely an “impossible” situation! Normally a pack of lions would have made a quick meal of Daniel. He knew that, but he prayed publicly anyway and was caught and sentenced to be thrown into the den of lions. When that happened, Daniel could have wondered why God was putting him through such a frightening ordeal.
This story is not only exciting because God didn’t let the lions eat, or even harm, Daniel. Because of his faith and God’s amazing rescue, this pagan King started worshiping the one, true God:“I make a decree that in all the dominion of my kingdom men are to fear and tremble before the God of Daniel; for He is the living God and enduring forever, and His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed, and His dominion will be forever. He delivers and rescues and performs signs and wonders in heaven and on earth, who has also delivered Daniel from the power of the lions” (Daniel 6:26–27).
God also put Abraham and his wife Sarah through an apparently impossible situation. (Read it for yourself in Genesis Chapters 15-17). Although they had been married for many years, they were not able to have children. When Abraham was 75 and Sarah was 65, God not only told them that they would have a child of their own, but that one day their descendants would be more than they could count. What an amazing promise since they were so old! That’s not all, though. God made them wait another 25 years before Sarah got pregnant! Can you imagine? Why did they have to wait so long? One answer is that Abraham and Sarah left us a wonderful example of real faith. They proved to us that no matter how impossible a situation appears, God can still do anything.
What about the impossible situation you are facing right now? God wants to show off His power in your life if you will trust Him. “For the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His. …” (2 Chronicles 16:9). In other words, God is looking for people who will put their whole faith in Him. The key to overcoming impossible situations is faith—faith in the God of Scripture.
Living by faith sounds risky, doesn’t it? Actually, it is even riskier to make your own decisions than it is to trust and obey God. Why? Because only God knows everything, and He is the One who has the power to control the future. We don’t. Bible teacher John MacArthur put it this way:“Faith is powerful. Faith sees the invisible, hears the inaudible, touches the intangible, and accomplishes the impossible. Unfortunately, some faith is all talk and never really gets down to action. True faith is active, powerfully active.”
Let me review how we can have that true faith in the Living God. First, we must believe that we have no spiritual life apart from His work of grace: “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins… even when we were dead in our transgressions, Once we realize our desperate need, we must trust Christ to wash away our sin. After we have done that, our faith can begin to grow strong as we focus on God’s character and promises. For example, Jesus (who raised Himself from the dead) made this promise to His followers: “Seek first [God’s] kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things [our daily needs] will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33). When our minds are centered on what God can do, then, and only then, our impossible-looking problems will seem small in light of God’s power. God is “… able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us” (Ephesians 3:20). My challenge to you is this: What consumes your thinking—your problems or your all-powerful God? David learned where to focus, and he said, “My eyes are continually toward the Lord, for He will pluck my feet out of the net” (Psalm 25:15). “When faced with a trial, gaze at God and His promises and only glance at your problems.” Doing that takes work, but you will be amazed at how it relieves your stress.
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