Impossible, Improbable, Or Hopeless?

Have you ever found yourself in a situation that seems impossible, improbable, or absolutely hopeless? Perhaps you find yourself there right now. Be encouraged! Ok, I know what you're thinking. How in the world do those situations lend themselves to times of great encouragement? Here's my point. God loves these moments. I think He longs for these opportunities to show up in a powerful way on behalf of His sons and daughters. All throughout the history of the world, God has performed mightily in situations like these.

Can you picture Moses and the children of Israel at the Red Sea? Behind them is a massive army charging after them who I'm sure is prepared to destroy them all. They have no way out. It's a hopeless situation, and then all of a sudden, God shows up and splits the sea and provides them with a way out. I'm thinking if I'm there watching this unfold, I would have gone from screaming in fear to statements like, "Are you kidding me?" "Is this really happening?" "Woo Hoo!!!" and "This is unbelievable!!!" Of course, that would all be followed by a bit of taunting directed toward the charging army. I don't know about you, but I think that is some pretty incredible stuff.

How about the time when Joshua is fighting and they need a few more hours of sunlight in order to win the battle? Scripture tells us the sun stood still for nearly a day. Think about that. The One who slung the sun, moon, stars, and planets into orbit apparently held out His hand and told them to stop for a few hours. Can you imagine watching this play out? I can picture some of the conversations going on. "Man, is it just me or does anyone else feel like this has been a really long day?" "Oh, great my sundial appears to be broken."

Abraham has a son when he's 100. David takes down a giant. The walls of Jericho just fall down. Elijah calls down fire from heaven. Three men are thrown into a fiery furnace and walk out unharmed. Daniel spends the night with hungry lions and walks out alive. A widow is blessed with an endless supply of oil. Lazarus is raised from the dead. On and on and on the stories go with God working in a powerful way time after time.

When I think of these stories, I am reminded of the unlimited power and strength of our God. I'm reminded of the fact that all things were made by Him and all things are subject to Him. I'm reminded that there is nothing impossible for Him. Even when things seem hopeless, impossible, or improbable. As a matter of fact, that's when God does His best work. Its in those moments when questions abound and you find yourself at the end of your ability that God intervenes in ways that boggle the human mind.

So, if you find yourself in one of those seasons in life when things look impossible, improbable, or hopeless, be encouraged!!! God is about to flex his muscles and perform powerfully on your behalf.

Snow....Great Performance, God!

Frozen precipitation falling from the sky is something you don't see very often in Texas. Perhaps that's why we all go so crazy when we see a little bit of it begin to fall. As I write this, my two little boys are in the back yard making snow angels. Well, not really making snow angels but they are laying on the ground making the motions of making snow angels. Although the snow is falling, there is not any on the ground. Of course, all those from up north look at us and think we're all crazy because it's something that they see regularly. Its just a regular part of life for them come winter time.

But, think about it for a minute. The amazing process of evaporation, condensation, and then precipitation is a pretty awesome thing. And when that precipitation is in the form of small ice crystals it's even more amazing. And when it coats the landscape with a layer of white, its a beautiful thing. Whether you've seen it a million times or once in your lifetime, this act of God is still an incredible thing to behold.

How often do we get so accustomed to all the amazing performances of God that we fail to be wowed by it anymore? He paints the sky like a canvas as the sun rises or sets and we hardly even notice. Every night we nod off to sleep under a vast expanse full of planets and stars and rarely stop to take it all in. The flowers in the spring, the leaves in the fall, thunderstorms, and boisterous winds are all breathtaking performances by our Creator that we don't always allow to take our breath away anymore. The birds sing melodies and the squirrels do death defying acrobatics jumping from tree to tree and we seldom pay any attention to them. God's miraculous works surround us everyday and if we'll pause for a moment to take it in, we will indeed be wowed by it all.

The miracle of tiny ice crystals falling from the sky is just as awesome today as the first time it ever happened. The only thing that's changed the "wow" factor is our perspective. We've seen it before so it no longer blows us away like it does our children. Slow down today and take in part of His creation and allow Him to wow you with it again. I mean, come on, we're talking about tiny, little, intricate ice crystals that were formed thousands of feet in the air and then slowly float to the ground...that's an awesome performance by our Creator!!! I'm thinking He deserves a standing ovation for that!