Confident Helplessness

Romans 4:20 (King James Version)
20He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;

Hebrews 11:12 (New International Version)
12And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.

Utter helplessness will drive you to your knees.

A burden weighed heavy, an overwhelming situation--just too big to strategize a solution to.

As we prayed I felt my eyes taken off ourselves and placed upon God. I thought of a verse I have always loved about Abraham.

Although I cut my teeth on it, I rarely read the King James Version of the bible anymore, but this is one verse that the modern language versions don't quite capture in the same way--

Romans 4:12 says of Abraham, "He staggered not..."

I just love those three words--"He staggered not."

The Bible is a book full of humanly hopeless situations and the odds are always so far against a positive outcome that it is almost laughable--in fact laughter was recorded as a response more than once. The more I think about it--God showed up all the time in humanly impossible situations--which was a great encouragement as I thought of the one we were praying about.

Who but God would choose a couple of very senior citizens--"as good as dead," the Bible says-- to launch a nation.

In fact, the impossibility of a given situation should be strangely comforting--it is just such a situation that is ripe for God.

Yes, God--my God--who plants a nation in the womb of an elderly woman--or a Saviour in the womb of a virgin--I see your invitation in impossible situations.

You say, "Trust me and see..."

And I do--for I know you.

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