“And Jesus said…’All things are possible to him who believes’...’I believe; help my unbelief!'”. (Mark 9:23-24, RSV).
My family just left after an extended three weeks stay. Our smallish house now seems very spacious after holding so much stuff from four extra people living here. It’s awfully quiet too: chatty grownups and busy children make for lots of noise! It’s enjoyable when they’re here 24/7, but also exhausting for us retired folks.
Our grandchildren are 9 and 11 now, full of questions and opinions. Unfortunately, their parents, like so many young people, seem allergic to organized religion, and are themselves skeptical about God. So I was encouraged when my granddaughter expressed a desire to go with Grandma to church. My daughter gave her permission, and so I prayed for an opportunity during all the busyness of beach trips and other activities, and visiting with friends and relatives. We did eventually get to an early morning weekday Mass. There, the usual (older) folks were delighted to see a child present at 7:30am, and were very smiley and friendly toward her.
My granddaughter didn’t say much afterwards except she began to sing the Psalms refrain from that day’s readings over and over in a slightly silly way. She even taught her version to her older brother who laughingly joined in. She told me the song (her version) was stuck in her head. I prayed that some good seed had been planted which might – eventually – bear fruit in her life.
As I pray for the whole family, especially my grandkids, I feel much sadness. How I long for these dear ones to know the joy and peace of friendship with Jesus! Pouring my heart out in prayer, I suddenly “heard” these words interiorly: “I am the God of possibilities”.
Too often, I focus on circumstances as they are now; I extrapolate into the future and struggle to even imagine that what I’m praying for is actually, truly possible. My faith is sometimes weak when it comes to my own loved ones, though I have no problem believing for someone else’s situation. It’s as though I think that God’s hands are tied, that what I’m praying for isn’t actually possible. And while Jesus does indeed await our invitation to him by unlocking the door of our hearts (see Revelation 3:20), he assuredly knows what he’s doing. He uses everything in our lives. The very things I see as hindrances are precisely the “stuff” that God’s Spirit uses to draw all of us beloved humans to Himself.
Yes, we can resist him and his persistent, loving overtures. But his love is very strong and he’s determined to do all that is possible to bring all to himself. And for God, ALL things are possible.
Lessons From Love School 
Hi Chris,
There’s not one believer that I know who doesn’t long for a family member to come into a relationship with the Lord. We desire to see our loved one come into a saving knowledge of Christ before we pass on to glory so we can rest assured that we will see them again in the kingdom. Yes, God is the God of the impossible. The Bible is full of such examples. For example, who would believe that a zealous Pharisee named Paul whose one objective was to rid the earth of Christians would become a staunch defender of the faith right up until his death? We may not live to see our loved one become a follower of Christ, but never underestimate the power of what God can do as we continue to plant seeds and pray for those we love.
LikeLike