3 Bible figures who can teach us about trusting in God for the impossible
Our God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, is the God of the impossible. He can do so much more than what we can ask and think. He is powerful beyond our comprehension.
No description can be enough to describe Him. He's simply indescribable.
Many of us Christians find it hard to believe that God can and will do good things to us and for us, especially the things we think we don't deserve. Well, suffice it to say that our unbelief cannot and will not ever limit God's goodness, mercy, and power. 2 Timothy 2:11-13 tells us,
"This is a faithful saying: For if we died with Him, we shall also live with Him. If we endure, we shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him, He also will deny us. If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself."
God of the impossible
Time and again, God has proven that He can do what many of us can only hope for. He's proven Himself faithful and trustworthy over the years, always fulfilling all that He has promised.
The Bible gives us a few people whose lives show just how faithful God is; that He does what He says and simply surpasses our limited imaginations.
The experiences that these people have show us that God can do the impossible, and that we can and should trust Him to prove Himself faithful and good.
Here are some people who can teach us a thing or two about trusting in God for the impossible.
1) The father of many nations
Abraham, formerly named Abram, showed us that God could do what we humans normally deem impossible, even with our own bodies.
Abraham and his wife Sarah (formerly named Sarai) were old and didn't have children of their own. Sarah was barren and could not bear a child for her husband (see Genesis 11:30).
God, however, promised Abraham that He'd make him the father of many nations (see Genesis 12:2, 17:4-5). He promised that Sarah would bear him a son (see Genesis 17:16, 19).
Soon we read that God did allow Sarah to conceive and give Abraham a son, whom they named Isaac (see Genesis 21:1-7).
God did this when Abraham and Sarah were 100 and 90 years old, respectively.
2) Three friends who literally faced the fire
Daniel's three friends -- Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego -- experienced a life-saving miracle, something that only God can do. Daniel 3 gives us their account.
At the time, the king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar, had a golden statue erected. Everyone was commanded to bow down to worship it at the sound of the "horn, flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery, in symphony with all kinds of music" (see Daniel 3:5). Everyone who did not bow down to worship was given a very harsh penalty:
Death by burning in a fiery furnace (see verse 6).
Daniel's three friends, choosing to worship God instead of man, refuse to worship the image when the sound is played. Nebuchadnezzar tried to strike fear into their hearts by threatening them with death, but they did not budge:
"Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up."" (see Daniel 3:16-18)
They were thrown into the fire soon enough, but instead of being burned to death, the Lord rescued them:
"I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God." (see Daniel 3:25)
3) The Saviour of the world
This last Person here is the perfect example on why we should trust God for the impossible. His name is Jesus Christ.
The Lord Jesus Christ Himself showed us that we can and should trust God. Many of us don't know God and can't trust Him, but Christ came to show us who God really is and what His desires for us are:
"And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day." (see John 6:40)
John 3:16 tells us why God sent Jesus:
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."
Do we deserve this kindness? No. But God, being loving and merciful, was kind to us anyway:
"For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:7-8)