“…with God all things are possible.” Matthew 9:26b
With.
There are so many things we pay attention to in that sentence. It’s a statement of hope, of open doors, of the assurance of God’s sovereignty.
Most of us have held onto those hopeful words at one time or another. But I wonder how often its true meaning is overlooked and it’s reduced to an inspirational quote thinking all we have to do is know there’s a God, know He can do anything, and then do our best to get what we want or need and it will all work out.
Let’s see what that word with has to say.
With is para in Greek. It means near, beside, in the vicinity of.
We must be with God, and Jesus is the One Who connects us to Him.
It’s not enough for us to know who God is, or even to have invited Jesus into our lives at one point. We must be with God through a constant relationship with His Son. Connected to Him, yoked to Him, side by side, arm in arm, doing life together.
Besides with, para also translates to the word friend.
Jesus called His followers friends. Not fair-weather friends when everything is working out. Not long-distance friends. And certainly not just acquaintances.
He wants to be a friend closer than any other, communing with us as we bring to Him every need, every worry, every concern, even if it seems impossible. Especially if it’s impossible.
If you’ve had a close friend long enough, you know at some point you both start sounding alike, laughing at the same things, thinking the same thoughts.
Something like that happens when we walk side by side with Jesus, only more so. With Him we are spiritually transformed from the inside out. The closer we walk with Jesus the more we will be filled with His character, thinking like Him, and desiring what He desires. We begin to pray, not our own will, but His will.
And when we pray for something that is God’s will, there is nothing He won’t do, no mountain He won’t move to make it happen.
“Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.’”
We can do nothing spiritually on our own, or even with another person no matter how great their intelligence, how broad their education, or how full their bank account. In fact, Jesus was saying riches can make doing the impossible, well, impossible. Why? Because then we can feel like we don’t need God.
But when we join with God through Jesus, the impossible becomes possible.
I don’t know about you, but I’ve had a lot of impossible circumstances in my life. Seems most of my life has been impossible.
I think God loves to do the impossible in our lives. I think He’s waiting for us to get to the end of ourselves so we will call out to Him “Abba!” And then He can, in His time, move the mountain, stop the rain, still the sun, soften the hard heart, bring home the prodigal child, save the marriage, provide a way where there was no way.
What a privilege to do life with God.
I’d love to hear your stories about how God’s made the impossible possible in your life.
Heavenly Father, we desire to do this life with you. We know that we can do nothing without you, but everything with you. Help us to intentionally draw nearer and nearer to you every day.We want your mind to be our mind, your heart to be our heart, your will to be our will. Please give us faith to expand our prayers to the things that are impossible for us, but oh so possible for you. And may we be careful to give you the glory. In Jesus’ name, Amen.