When circumstances seem beyond hope, “impossible” things can happen through prayer. Don’t give up. We serve the God of the impossible. When we cry out to Him, He will do unimaginable things!
George Mueller took on an impossible task: feeding many orphans without asking anyone for money. Yet God heard his impossible prayers and sent unexpected food to his doorstep and unsolicited money in the mail. Rees Howells and his students at a Bible school in Wales spent hours each day praying that Hitler’s armies would be stopped, despite foreboding headlines. Months in advance, they prayed for the impossible that became reality. History was also changed by the prayers of people like George Washington, William Wilberforce, and many others. “Christians have altered the course of history and governments by utilizing biblical methods of prayer and fasting (Derek Prince – Shaping History through Prayer and Fasting).
You’ve probably never heard of Evelyn Forrest, co-founder of Toccoa Falls Bible College in Georgia. A fire destroyed their main building, and later a flood killed 39 people and injured 60. But because of her faithful prayers, the school was rebuilt both times and remains today. Evelyn challenges us with these words: “God loves to have His children ask Him to do that which no man can do…We seldom pray in earnest for the extraordinary, the limitless, the glorious. And yet we suppose ourselves to believe in an infinite Father.”
So how can we pray for the impossible?
Ask God to Reveal His Will
He gives wisdom when we ask believing He will answer.1 We know God’s will is to redeem people who humbly seek Him and to work for the good of those who love Him.2 God’s will sometimes takes us on difficult paths of hardship. But we must always remember that God is good and wise, and His ways are best. He also wants to bring glory and honor to Himself through His Son Jesus.
How do you pray, for example, for people deep in addictions? Jesus came to free the prisoners with truth that sets us free. 3 My father was a serious alcoholic, increasingly beyond help. My grandparents prayed for him and asked their church to pray for his deliverance. One night after special meetings in their church, Dad talked to the evangelist and made a deal with God: “If You take away this desire for alcohol, I’ll serve you the rest of my life.” And God did just that, literally overnight! My dad became a Christ follower and then a minister. It was a turnaround that seemed impossible, but all things are possible with God.
Ask God for a Specific Scripture
Praying God’s Word is declaring His will. It combines two powerful spiritual weapons: the Sword of the Spirit (the Bible) and prayer. Special verses routinely come in my daily Bible reading. As I read in multiple places in the Old and New Testaments, a specific idea often pops up in two different places. Scripture prayer sets on specific topics are also a great resource. (See the “Scripture Prayers” dropdown tab on my website.)
Whatever the problem, God’s word has an answer. If it’s a financial need, we can pray, “My God will meet all your needs according to His riches in Christ Jesus.” 4 If it’s a job decision, God tells us to ask for wisdom without doubting.5 If it’s division in your church body, God’s word says, “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” 6 These are things we can pray knowing that we are aligned with God’s will.
Look beyond what you see with your eyes.
People look on the outward appearance of things, but God looks on the heart.7 Impossible prayers require looking above and beyond our own limited experience and knowledge. God says, “My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are My ways your ways.” 8 We don’t have all the pieces; we don’t know the whole story. We can’t see the future, but God can. Be open to seeing God’s way unfold.
Expect the unexpected.
God has done totally unexpected things that no one could see coming. He opened a path in the Red Sea, made the sun stand still, and caused invading armies to suddenly flee. These were all clearly accomplished by God alone. He gets all the praise! He also transforms the most unlikely people.
Jesus said it was impossible for a rich person to give up wealth to follow Him. “But with God – all things are possible.” 9 God can change the most resistant, hard-hearted heart. He turned Saul, a ruthless persecutor of Christians, into a courageous ambassador for Christ. Do you believe God can unexpectedly change the heart of a king or a terrorist in our day? The Bible tells us that God can direct the heart of a king like a watercourse.10 We can pray that He changes hearts of stone into hearts of flesh,11 that unreached people entrenched in deception have ears to hear and eyes to see God’s plan.
God will work through YOU.
When God heard the cries of His people for deliverance, He used humble people in unusual ways. Moses knew he didn’t have the eloquence to convince Pharoah to let the entire Israeli population leave Egypt. But God told Moses, “I will be with you. I will teach you what to say.”12 Gideon didn’t need a math degree to know his tiny army didn’t stand a chance against the vast Philistine forces. But God said, “Go in the strength you have. I will be with you.”13 These men believed God would do miracles if they stepped out in faith to do what He asked, no matter how dangerous or crazy!
When Jesus’ disciples couldn’t cast out a demon, He told them that if they had faith as small as a mustard seed, nothing would be impossible for them. 14 Wait, what? In his book, This Day We Fight, Francis Frangipane says, “If the Jesus you are following is not leading you into the realm of the impossible to make changes in your world, you are probably following the wrong one.”
Jesus also said, “If you remain (live) in Me and My words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be My disciples” (John 15:7,8). There are four conditions in this prayer. 1. If we live in Him (remain, dwell, abide), we are continually listening, seeking, and communicating with Him daily. 2. If His words live in us, we are reading, memorizing, praying, and putting into practice His words. 3. Given those conditions, we’ll likely be seeking God’s will and glory in what we ask, not our own. And 4, it will result in fruit for the kingdom – people becoming Christ followers, disciples, and living testimonies of God’s redeeming love and healing. So let’s pray this verse for ourselves: “Jesus, help me to live in You daily, to have Your words permeate my heart and life, so that I know how to pray Your will for things that will bring God glory. I want to see You bring good fruit in my life and in the lives of those around me. May my life show that I am Your disciple.”
All these things are possible only through God’s power. Ephesians 3:16-21 tells us that God can strengthen us with power through His Spirit in us, with Christ dwelling (making a home) in our hearts. God’s power enables us to grasp how immense Christ’s love is for us. NOW we will begin to see God’s power doing the unimaginable, “at work within US”! The result will be “glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations.” That, my friends, is the beginning of the immeasurable, unimaginable, and impossible things God can do!
1James 1:5-6; 2 Romans 8:28; . 3John 8:34-36; 4 Philippians 4:19; 5James 1:5-6; 6 Ephesians 4:2-4; 71 Samuel 16:7; 8 Isaiah 55:8; 9 Mark 10:23-27; 10 Proverbs 21:1; 11 Ezekiel 11:19; 12 Exodus 4:12-15; 13 Judges 6:14-16; 14 Matthew 17:21.
Check out my unlikely but true story, “The Purple Chopstick.”
Thank you – these words were very encouraging . There are so many needs in our world today and God is in control over our world. We just need to be tuned into His Plan and Purposes and pray to that end.
Jeanne, your are so right – He is the only refuge in this crazy world. Not only that, His plan is better than we could ever imagine! Thanks for your wise words.