IMPOSSIBLE

adj: incapable of being solved or accomplished

 “All this may seem impossible to you now…but is it impossible for me?” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.  Zechariah 8:6 NLT

There is a lot going on in the book of Zechariah.

 The major problem is that the temple had been destroyed, and God’s people were losing heart as they were trying to rebuild it. The new walls had been partially constructed, but they were overwhelmed by what they still had left to do. They needed some real help.

 Too much pressure.

Feelings of inadequacy and discouragement.

Wondering if God can or will intervene.

 Fast forward to today:  We are overwhelmed, too. Our hearts are heavy. And we wonder the same thing: Can God help us? Will he?

 When God asked his people if anything was impossible for him, he answered his own question this way in verses 7 and 8:

 You can be sure that I will rescue my people from the east and from the west.

I will bring them home again to live safely in Jerusalem.

They will be my people, and I will be faithful and just toward them as their God.

 The people Zechariah was speaking to needed to know this. Their new temple and the city of Jerusalem would be complete and safe and full of joy one day. They could be sure of God’s loving rescue. They could be sure of his desire to bring them close and give them what they needed. They could be sure that he would do what he said.

And we can be sure of this too.

Jesus can still do the impossible.

 Our God is still willing and faithful to help us–we just have to trust that he can and he will.

I forget that sometimes. I have lots of other ways I like to try to wriggle out of my overwhelmed places.

My default response tends to be this: I lose sleep, muster up every ounce of my own strength, and google all the ways to get that partially-built wall finished; and then I shut down in frustration when I realize it is too much for me to handle on my own.

But this verse reminds me that we cannot “rebuild the temple” without Jesus.

 ‘You can’t force these things. They only come about through my Spirit,’ says God-of-the-Angel-Armies.  Zechariah 4:6 MSG

 When we are worried about someone, or anxious about something, or feeling inadequate and defeated, we can remember that God did help his people rebuild that temple.

He isn’t done helping his people, and he is more than able to restore and redeem our hard things.

So maybe this can be our new default response: to ask Jesus to handle it all. Nothing overwhelms him like it does us. Everything we are worrying about, hoping for, and struggling with can be entrusted to him.  We can exchange our stress and fear for his faithful and generous power to rebuild our problems into something good.   

TAKE YOUR TICKET

Nothing is impossible for Jesus. 

Let’s put everything–even the things that seem impossible–into his redeeming hands.

Dear Jesus, thank you that you are never overwhelmed. Please remind me that even when I can’t handle it all, you can and you will. I bring my worries and struggles to you now, and trust you that everything is possible with you. Amen.