Trust God for the Impossible

Can you imagine what it would have been like to be Noah?

I’m sure I’d have a million questions for God if he asked me to build a colossal boat because a 40-day flood was coming. I’d likely start with the whole “rain for 40 days” concept. The Bible tells us it hadn’t rained before the flood came. Rain—much less 40 days’ worth— likely made no sense to Noah. 

Then I’d probably point out that I’m not exactly a shipbuilder. Couldn’t God find someone more suited for the task? And don’t get me started on the animal situation. How do I gather up every kind of creature and cram them into this floating vessel?

But Noah didn’t come to God with any of that. He didn’t once debate God about building the ark. Instead, he simply said, “Whatever you want, Lord.” 

The Bible says this about what Noah did after God’s call: “Noah did everything that God commanded him” (Genesis 6:22 GNT). 

God called Noah to do the impossible and the incomprehensible. Maybe God hasn’t asked you to build a huge boat in the middle of dry land, but he calls you to take your own impossible steps of faith for him. In fact, God specializes in the impossible. You read stories of impossible steps of faith throughout the pages of the Bible and throughout church history.

Frankly, doing the impossible is what a life of faith is all about. 

If you want the world-changing life of Noah, you need his world-changing faith. God uses leaders who follow him even when the way forward makes little sense. 

It might look something like this to you: God asks you to invest in a new ministry just as the giving in your church begins to decline. Maybe God wants you to engage in a new kind of service that feels completely out of your element. Or he leads you to serve in a new place and take a pay cut in the process.

Let’s face it, sometimes God asks us to do things that don’t make a lick of sense. He calls us to step out in faith when we don’t have all the answers.

You’ll never make a difference in the world around you without stepping out in faith. The people who’ve made the biggest impact on the world have always been those who weren’t afraid to act decisively, even when they couldn’t see past their own two feet. 

But you can see good news in the story of Noah. God didn’t let him fall on his face. 

God equipped Noah to do the job he’d told him to do. 

God never expects us to do something without empowering us with the needed tools. We just need to ask. 

Paul writes in 2 Thessalonians 1:11, “So we keep on praying for you, asking our God to enable you to live a life worthy of his call. May he give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do” (NLT).

You’ll never be able to do the impossible on your own. You’re not capable. God doesn’t expect you to do it either. As Paul suggests, we need God to enable us to accomplish all the good he is leading us to do. 

Will you ask him?

The choice is yours. If you want to make a difference, choose today to trust God for the impossible.