In Luke’s Gospel, this verse is spoken by the Angel Gabriel to Mary, a young Jewish teenager who had just been informed that she will be the mother of God’s only Son, His plan for our salvation. As the familiar account tells us, once she overcame her initial fear of Gabriel’s appearance, she was soon overcome with doubt, anxiety, and more fear upon hearing that she, a virgin betrothed to Joseph would conceive supernaturally. 

Have you ever found yourself in a seemingly untenable situation like Mary? Chances are you experienced a similar reaction like Mary did: overwhelming anxiety and fear. It’s not often that we are reminded of this part of the Nativity narrative, of Gabriel’s words, that “nothing is impossible with God.” This wasn’t some sort of declaration, rather it was a statement. Gabriel stated the irrefutable truth: nothing is impossible with God.

I will admit that when I find myself dealing with a particularly anxiety-inducing situation, the farthest things from my mind are the possibilities of what will be birthed from my circumstances. I find that I get tangled up in the impossibilities. I forget that my God, our God, is the God of the impossible. My little human self fails to see beyond my limitations. Silly human! 

Sadly, it takes me a bit to remember that I have a God who hears me, sees me, and has a plan for me. Phew! What a relief when this finally dawns me. Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to have Gabriel or a burning bush show up. But then I recall, (once again, silly human!) I have Emmanuel. We have the God of the universe with us! He will never leave us. He will never forsake us. He is the God of the impossible. 

Mary accepted Gabriel’s statement of truth, and soon she birthed the seemingly impossible: God’s only Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ. What is God birthing in you out of impossible circumstances? Are you being reminded about other true statements about God?

Stepping outside of our overwhelming circumstances, perhaps we can hear Emmanuel say:

Let us listen for His truth this Christmas season.

Merry Christmas!

Shireen