Believing the Impossible
Someone asked me recently, "Why would God give me a brain to reason with & then ask me not to use it?” This is an interesting question because there are at least two seemingly opposite answers that are both biblical.
Psalm 19 begins with a statement that absolutely implies that Jehovah expects us to use our reasoning abilities: "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork" (1). It is God's expectation that anyone, whether they've ever held a Bible or not, can look at the heavens and say, "There must be a creator because the creation demands it!" In Romans 1, Paul is explicit in saying that creation testifies of God's power & wisdom: “For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse” (19-20). The creation is clear evidence for the existence of a being far greater than ourselves. The end of verse 20, “So they are without excuse,” clearly communicates that God is not going to accept anyone telling Him, “How could I have known that you are real?!?” The perfection and righteousness that we see all around us proclaim His existence.
Paradoxically, there are also times He asks us to believe Him when what He is telling us goes against reason and nature. In Genesis 15, Abraham was still waiting on the heir that Yahweh had promised him, and Abraham asked Him about it. Yahweh’s response was that Abraham was going to have more descendants than there were stars in the sky. This made no sense. Abraham was between 65 & 75 years old at this point. If he had not had a child by now, it was not reasonable to expect that he would have one at some point in the future.
The story gets even more interesting because God doesn't immediately fulfill this promise. We find in Genesis 18 that Abraham is now 100 and Sarah is 90. Moses tells us that Sarah was firmly past child bearing age, so from that perspective it was physically impossible for her to have a child. In addition to that, according to 18.12, Sarah and Abraham were no longer enjoying a physical relationship. Consequently it was impossible on multiple levels for them to have a child together, yet that is exactly what Yahweh told Abraham was going to happen. Abraham continued to believe, even in the face of impossibilities. He had complete faith in God’s promises.
In Genesis 22, we find Yahweh giving him a command that made less sense than everything that had come before: “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you” (2). This was the son of promise, the son through whom Yahweh was going to fulfill everything that He had promised Abraham, and now Abraham is being told to kill him and burn his body as a sacrifice. But because Jehovah had proven Himself faithful with seemingly impossible promises already, Abraham faithfully set out to do as he was instructed. He understood God’s character, and he knew that with God, all things are possible.
We see similar examples in the New Testament. In Matthew 14, the disciples see Jesus walking on water, and they are understandably frightened. As He identifies Himself and
Peter is trying to believe it, he asks Jesus to be able to walk on the water to Him. From any rational perspective, it made no sense for Peter to step out of the boat. But at Jesus' word, Peter climbed over the side and began walking to Him. When Peter began to fear, he began to sink. As Jesus reached out and saved him, the Lord gently rebuked him because Jesus was looking for a stronger faith. Although it took tremendous belief for Peter to step out of the boat, Jesus expected more: He expected Peter to believe against all reason that he could walk on water in spite of the wind, in spite of the waves, in spite of the storm.
All of the accounts like this throughout scripture-the creation, the flood, the Exodus, etc.-prepare us to believe the ultimate impossible thing: that Jesus of Nazareth, the son of a poor carpenter, was the Messiah, that He lived a life without sin, that after His crucifixion and death he was resurrected by God, and He lives and is reigning at God's right hand today. God’s faithful promise keeping allows us to know that “if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his” (Romans 6:6). Praise God for His faithfulness and love!
“Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love,
that he may deliver their soul from death and keep them alive in famine. Our soul waits for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. For our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name. Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in you” (Psalm 33:18-22).
