The Impossible

"We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face...we must do that which we think we cannot."
                                                             Eleanor Roosevelt




When David penned the 27th Psalm, he was not yet a king. He was not yet anointed. In fact, he was on the run for his life. King Saul was jealous of him and wanted him dead. King Saul was trying to hold onto his position of power and David posed a threat to that security. David was now in danger from violent men who lied about him and were doing their absolute best to apprehend and kill him. This was not a situation in which David ever would have anticipated for the mere reason of just following after God. And yet, this Psalm outlines how David was able to be strong and courageous and confident even in the midst of terrifying and dangerous circumstances. In fact, without God, they were utterly impossible.

The Bible says that David "was a man after God's own heart" (Acts 13:22) and this was said not because David was perfect, but because David would do the things that God wanted him to do. So, if God allowed David to be pursued by his enemies, then there must be great purpose in the chase. David would continually pursue God while he, himself, was being pursued. It was in this pursuit of God that David received everything he needed to be victorious.

Maybe I am the only one who does this, but it's always at this point that I think, "If God can stop this from happening in the first place, why doesn't He just do that?" If He did, however, the Bible would be a very short book. And, we would never have the insight and wisdom to live victorious lives on this earth. This Psalm, in fact, gives us the strategies to look fear in the face and determine that we will win. With God on our side, how can we possibly lose?

Since God is all about our relationships with Him, His incentive is to pull us in closer and help us to see attributes about Himself that we would never otherwise see. God pulled David in close enough to hear His own heartbeat so that then David could emulate the cacophony of His rhythmic beat. Regardless of anything this world could throw at Him, David knew that God was on his side and that God would deliver him from the wickedness that pursued.

Even as David pulled in closer to God, he still recognized and acknowledged the evil that abounded in his midst. He did not deny it, nor did he minimize it. He looked in faith to the danger around him and was confident because he had spent his private time with God and was assured that God would rescue and deliver him. He elevated God's words over his circumstances, emotions, and the enemy that taunted him. David could see beauty in the midst of so much that was ugly because he meditated on God's goodness and the ways that God had always been there for him.

While there is no special formula that we can apply to help us overcome our own fears (because then we wouldn't need God), there are things we can do to propel us forward in the right direction. In verse 3, David says "Though an army encamp around me, my heart shall not fear; though war rise against me, yet I will be confident." David could speak these words because he affirmed his faith in the One, True God. This doesn't mean that he never doubted again (verse 7); it just means that he was intentional in telling himself and others that he trusted in God. Often, reminders are necessary.

Throughout this Psalm, there were times that David did fear that he would fail. When he sought God's direction, God answered him in his heart and told him to "seek His face" (Psalm 24:6; 105:4).When we seek the face of God, we must also come face to face with anything in our lives that stands between us and God. If there is sin, repentance is required. If God is displeased with something, He is faithful to show us when we seek His face. Even a toddler knows when his parents are unhappy, and so will we if we seek the face of God in earnest.

There were also times that David was afraid of his future, but God taught him how to wait patiently for the timing of the Lord. This was a necessary lesson for David because this would not be the only time in David's life that he would be pursued by the enemy. Instead of praying for God to remove the untoward circumstances, David said, "I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the Lord" (Psalm 27:13-14).

This means that David believed that he would once again witness God's goodness while he was still on this planet. And, that is also exactly what we must do when we are facing an impossible situation in our own lives. This perspective can be extremely challenging when we have been in a wilderness season for what seems like a long period of time. And yet, this is the place where we learn to exalt God's Word above all else. This is the place where we face the greatest fear in our hearts and we emerge victoriously. This is the place where we receive God's discipline and instruction and come through it with a greater level of humility than we had before. This is the place where we see the truth spiritually and learn the roles of all the other spiritual players in our lives. It is an unveiling of truth that cannot be experienced any other way.

When we really see things from God's perspective and begin to speak the things that God is saying, we begin to see more light. When we believe that God has purpose in every detail of our lives, we begin to relax more than we did before. When we start to trust God's processes in addition to believing His promises, we sleep more soundly. Finally, when we see the manifestation of God's power in the midst of our impossibilities, we rejoice and praise the One who called us into this difficult place. This is how we know that healing is already happening within our hearts.

And then we are called to share our stories and God's goodness and mercy and all the ways that He fed us with manna while we were traversing the wild terrain. God is glorified and we are renewed. Our personal story begins to make more sense and God then gives revelation and breathes life into it. Gratitude floods every fiber of our being because we know that we would not have survived our impossibility if it were not for the saving hand of our Almighty God.

Our God is so good and so are His plans for us. Too often, we are far too limited in our understanding because His ways are so much higher than our ways. If today you find yourself facing an impossible situation, draw in close and seek the face of God. Hear the rhythm of His heartbeat and know that each beat beats for you. Affirm your faith in Him alone and breathe in deeply. Wait while your muscles relax and then rejoice and sing praises because He is the One who specializes in making possibilities out of the impossible!


"Ah, Sovereign Lord! It is You who have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and by Your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for You!"
                                                               Jeremiah 32:17