How long have you been stuck in your current chapter waiting for that fresh start, waiting for direction on what’s next, waiting for a prayer to be answered? A few days, a few weeks, even a few years? Does God’s “possible” sometimes feel out of reach and unobtainable?
I take such comfort and inspiration from the story of Abraham and Sarah and their journey to reaching God’s possible.
When you think you’re too old for change, for dreaming new dreams, or ever reaching the ones God has placed on your heart…
Remember Abraham was 75 years old when he first said “yes” to God’s call to move his family and 100 years old when God finally fulfilled His promise of an heir.
When you think God has forgotten you or will never answer your prayer…
Remember how long Sarah must have prayed for a child of her own. She was 99 years old when she finally had Isaac – but he was worth the wait.
When you wonder how you’ll reach that next step in your journey, how you’ll make that dream a reality, how your life will ever be different or better…
Remember Abraham never knew where God was leading him or how he’d get there, he simply said “yes.”
Abraham trusted God and took the steps God asked of him, even when those steps didn’t make sense to his human mind. In the end, because of this faithfulness, Abraham saw God fulfill His promises and Abraham became the patriarch of nations and one of our greatest examples of faith.
By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she considered him faithful who had made the promise. And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore. Hebrews 11:8-12
God’s “possible” often seems “impossible” to our human minds
God doesn’t always answer our prayers in the ways we imagine or request, nor does he always use traditional methods. The dreams He lays on our hearts may feel unobtainable or impossible. We may see too many barriers and restrictions. Yet, God doesn’t see those limitations. He’s at work in broader ways than we can even imagine.
Sarah couldn’t fathom how Abraham would become the father of nations (Gen. 12:1-3, 15:4-5) when she was unable to conceive. How many decades must she have tried to get pregnant and failed? When the three visitors told her she’d have a baby in the next year, she was 99 years old (Gen. 18:9-15). No wonder the idea made her laugh; it must have seemed absurd. Yet, God did bring her a child the next year as promised because she and Abraham trusted His “possible.” (Gen. 21:1-7)
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8-9
We don’t reach God’s “possible” when we try to get there on our own
God’s “possible” is only obtainable through His help. It’s beyond our capabilities, our control, and our reach. Only when we rely on His help to get there can we reach God’s “possible.”
The waiting and reliance on God are hard in our culture. We want to there as soon as possible and we like to be self-reliant. From an early age, we’re constantly saying, “I don’t need any help, I can do this on my own.” Yet, that’s not the answer God wants from us.
Sarah learned this lesson the hard way. She tired of waiting and doubted God could provide an heir for Abraham through her, so she tried create her own solution. She gave Abraham her maid and allowed him an heir through her. This was not the solution God had planned. Her impatience didn’t get her to God’s “possible” any faster and only added stress and friction to her family. (Gen. 16:1-16)
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6
The path to God’s “possible” requires patience, prayer, and perseverance
To reach God’s “possible” requires that we align our dreams with God’s vision for our lives and then rely on Him to lead us there. We must remain in prayer to stay connected with His dreams for our lives and to hear His direction leading us there.
God works in His own time and ways, so we must have patience and trust He’ll get us there. The path to possible may be long and winding, may have ups and downs, may seem dark and unclear at times, yet we must persevere and trust God is working through it all.
For Abraham and Sarah, the journey from when God called them to leave Ur and follow Him until they finally had a son was 25 years. Those were 25 years of unknowns, wondering, and wandering. 25 years filled with prayers and perseverance. Even after Isaac was born and the promise fulfilled, the journey continued – as did the prayers and reliance on God to deliver His “possible.”
Take hope today from Abraham and Sarah’s story to continue trusting God’s possible. Stay rooted in prayer, be patient, and persevere through the twists and turns, ups and downs, and all the unknowns and surprises in your journey.
May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. Colossians 1:11-12
This post is part of the “Imagine God’s Possible” series. For more information or to read other posts in the series, click here: Dream the Impossible… Imagine God’s Possible
Are You Trusting God's Path to His Possible? – Prayer & Possibilities
I take such comfort and inspiration from the story of Abraham and Sarah and their journey to reaching God’s possible.
When you think you’re too old for change, for dreaming new dreams, or ever reaching the ones God has placed on your heart…
Remember Abraham was 75 years old when he first said “yes” to God’s call to move his family and 100 years old when God finally fulfilled His promise of an heir.
When you think God has forgotten you or will never answer your prayer…
Remember how long Sarah must have prayed for a child of her own. She was 99 years old when she finally had Isaac – but he was worth the wait.
When you wonder how you’ll reach that next step in your journey, how you’ll make that dream a reality, how your life will ever be different or better…
Remember Abraham never knew where God was leading him or how he’d get there, he simply said “yes.”
Abraham trusted God and took the steps God asked of him, even when those steps didn’t make sense to his human mind. In the end, because of this faithfulness, Abraham saw God fulfill His promises and Abraham became the patriarch of nations and one of our greatest examples of faith.
God’s “possible” often seems “impossible” to our human minds
God doesn’t always answer our prayers in the ways we imagine or request, nor does he always use traditional methods. The dreams He lays on our hearts may feel unobtainable or impossible. We may see too many barriers and restrictions. Yet, God doesn’t see those limitations. He’s at work in broader ways than we can even imagine.
Sarah couldn’t fathom how Abraham would become the father of nations (Gen. 12:1-3, 15:4-5) when she was unable to conceive. How many decades must she have tried to get pregnant and failed? When the three visitors told her she’d have a baby in the next year, she was 99 years old (Gen. 18:9-15). No wonder the idea made her laugh; it must have seemed absurd. Yet, God did bring her a child the next year as promised because she and Abraham trusted His “possible.” (Gen. 21:1-7)
God’s “possible” is only obtainable through His help. It’s beyond our capabilities, our control, and our reach. Only when we rely on His help to get there can we reach God’s “possible.”
The waiting and reliance on God are hard in our culture. We want to there as soon as possible and we like to be self-reliant. From an early age, we’re constantly saying, “I don’t need any help, I can do this on my own.” Yet, that’s not the answer God wants from us.
Sarah learned this lesson the hard way. She tired of waiting and doubted God could provide an heir for Abraham through her, so she tried create her own solution. She gave Abraham her maid and allowed him an heir through her. This was not the solution God had planned. Her impatience didn’t get her to God’s “possible” any faster and only added stress and friction to her family. (Gen. 16:1-16)
The path to God’s “possible” requires patience, prayer, and perseverance
To reach God’s “possible” requires that we align our dreams with God’s vision for our lives and then rely on Him to lead us there. We must remain in prayer to stay connected with His dreams for our lives and to hear His direction leading us there.
God works in His own time and ways, so we must have patience and trust He’ll get us there. The path to possible may be long and winding, may have ups and downs, may seem dark and unclear at times, yet we must persevere and trust God is working through it all.
For Abraham and Sarah, the journey from when God called them to leave Ur and follow Him until they finally had a son was 25 years. Those were 25 years of unknowns, wondering, and wandering. 25 years filled with prayers and perseverance. Even after Isaac was born and the promise fulfilled, the journey continued – as did the prayers and reliance on God to deliver His “possible.”
Take hope today from Abraham and Sarah’s story to continue trusting God’s possible. Stay rooted in prayer, be patient, and persevere through the twists and turns, ups and downs, and all the unknowns and surprises in your journey.