Impossible

“The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.” — Luke 18:27 (KJV)

When Jesus told a rich young man to sell everything and follow him, the man walked away sad. The disciples were shocked and asked, who then can be saved? Jesus answered: “The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.”

Murray says this one verse holds the two great lessons of the Christian life. First: you can’t do it. Second: God can. And he says many Christians learn the first and never learn the second.

He describes how it usually goes, and it may describe you. A young person becomes a Christian. They are full of joy and confident. They are sure they can live for God, because they are sincere and God will help them. Then, quite soon, they fail where they never expected to. So they decide they weren’t careful enough. They make stronger promises. They pray harder. And they fail again.

Eventually some people reach the next stage: they realise it is impossible. But instead of turning to God, they give up. Murray says many Christians live “a life of failure and of sin, instead of rest and victory,” because they have concluded, “I cannot,” and just settle for less. They will do their best, but they never expect to get very far.

But that is only half the lesson. Murray says God wants to bring us to the place where we accept fully that we can’t, and at the same time trust fully that he can. He quotes Philippians: “It is God which worketh in you.” What is impossible for you is exactly what God loves to do.

He uses Peter as the example again. Peter spent three years with Jesus and still didn’t learn this lesson until he had denied him and wept. Then he learned it, and then God could use him.

This is good news if you feel stuck. If you keep failing at the same thing, the answer is not just “try harder,” and it is not “give up.” It is to bring your “I can’t” to God and say: “I can’t, but you can. Do it in me.”

That is what absolute surrender looks like in practice. Not you becoming strong, but you handing your weakness to a strong God.

One thing to do this week: name one thing you have tried and failed to change in yourself. This week, stop making new promises about it. Instead, each time it comes up, pray: “I can’t, Lord, but you can. Work in me.” Tell one trusted person about it too.