God Of The Impossible

God Of The Impossible

Is anything too hard for the Lord? I will return about this time next year, and Sarah will have a son. Genesis 18:14

Some things in life seem too hard even for the Lord to do. In those moments we ask, “Is the God of the impossible still with us? Can we still experience miracles like those found in the Old Testament?”

One day, a patient of mine named Bill asked me to visit him at the hospital, where his wife, Carole, was dying.

“The specialists say there’s nothing they can do for her,” Bill said with tears in his eyes. “They said it won’t be long, and all we can do is wait for her to die.”

Across the room, Carole lay in bed, too weak to talk. I watched her fight for every breath. The surgeons had concluded that she was too weak for surgery, and they recommended hospice care.

Hospice is designed to keep terminally ill patients as comfortable as possible in their final days, to make sure their health-care wishes are carried out, and that they don’t suffer needlessly. Patients typically leave hospice only when they die.

I discussed Carole’s final wishes with her and Bill. She had a living will and a do-not-resuscitate order. I knew that CPR would likely be painful and futile. Before I left that night, the three of us prayed that God would keep Carole alive so she would have more time with her family.

The next morning, I was surprised to hear that she was still alive. The day after that, she seemed a little better. A week later, her breathing was noticeably less labored and color had returned to her cheeks. I called a cardiovascular surgeon who was using some new, less-invasive techniques, and he agreed to see Carole.

Over the next few months, I received occasional updates from Bill as Carole made progress. A year later, at Bill’s annual appointment, I was surprised to see a woman I barely recognized sitting with him. Carole’s appearance had improved so much that she looked much younger than I remembered.

She glowed as she told me that she’d recently done something we all would have said was impossible a year earlier: “I danced with my son at his wedding!”

TODAY’S RX

Our God is still the God of the impossible. Pray with the knowledge that nothing you face is too big for him.

Father, I praise you that nothing is impossible in your sight. Thank you for working miracles to this day, and for giving me hope to continue persevering.