The God Of The Impossible

The verse this morning is from Jeremiah 29:11-14 NIV:

[11] "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. [12] Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. [13] You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. [14] I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.”

This such a hopeful set of scripture, more so because it was written to the Jewish people when they were in captivity in Babylon. In other words, the Lord was drawing the eyes of their hearts back to Him, giving them hope for their future when there didn't appear to be any hope, and inviting them to re-establish their relationship with Him. He promised to return them to their land, to their homes and reestablish them as a nation, all things that seemed impossible at that time.

I love that God is the God of the impossible. He is the God of the underdog, those that appear forgotten, or defeated. He is the God of the widow and orphans, those without a family. I am reminded of some verses from Psalm 68:5-6: "A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. [6] God sets the lonely in families, he leads out the prisoners with singing;..." I am also reminded of Paul's experience in prison in Acts 16. They were singing while in prison and suddenly they were all set free by an earthquake. That night they converted the jailer and his whole family - it seems to me they probably came out of that jail singing. He truly is the God of the impossible.

So let us place our trust in the Lord, for He is faithful, and able. Regardless of our situation He is with us, and brings us hope and assurance of His love. As we seek Him, we will find Him. The invitation to relationship is always there, we just need to turn to Him.

I was also just thinking how the Lord positioned some of the people that were carried into exile, and gave them great power and authority in the land of their captors. (See the Book of Daniel 1-3, for more info.). What struck me about thus is that the Lord placed them in the place that probably felt the farthest from Him, and allowed them to be taught all the beliefs of the Babylonians. I imagine that from the outside, it looked like they had abandoned their people, their God and all their beliefs. God had a plan to use them as the ultimate insiders, to influence that government towards God. I wonder how Manny times we would look at people in that position and think they were turn-coats or traitors. But the Lord didn't see them that way. It is clear that the Lord was more than capable of preserving them, and their belief in Him, and ultimately using them to bring Glory to himself and release for the people.

Yes, He is the God of the lonely, the dejected, the prisoner, the fatherless, the husband less, the rejected, the weak, the lost, the hopeless, and those in impossible situations. He is also the God of those who are strong, those who are in authority, those who are healthy, those who are well employed, and those whose lives seem whole. He does not discriminate, He loves us all! His help is always available, even as He us always available, welcoming us all into His family as sons and daughters.