Are you in a circumstance you think is impossible to overcome? Sometimes we find ourselves in situations not of our own making that appear to have no hope or avenue of escape. Job (pronounced Jobe) shared the struggle you might be having today. “Oh that I knew where I might find Him, That I might come to His seat! ⁴ “I would present my case before Him And fill my mouth with arguments. ⁵ “I would learn the words which He would ^[c]answer, And perceive what He would say to me. Job 23:3-5 Before you read on, I would urge you to take a few minutes and read the first 14 verses of this chapter. Job wanted to talk to God face-to-face. He wanted to present his case to God and have God tell him why such trials had entered his life. Maybe you would like to do the same? Would your arguments sound something like, “I have been a good Christian, I go to church, help the poor, and give money to the church, why is this happening to me?” David also shared these kinds of thoughts. We can see them written in the Psalms. Read Psalms 42 and 43 for a good picture of his thinking!

In both of these Psalms, David laments about his soul being downcast, and he reminds himself to put his hope and his trust in God. As a side note, although David begins a good number of the Psalms with lamenting and sorrow, he (with one exception) finds his bearings and focuses on the goodness and faithfulness of God in times of trouble.

I waited patiently for the Lord; And He inclined to me and heard my cry. He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay, And He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm.
He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God; Many will see and fear And will trust in the Lord. Psalm 40:1-3 (NASB)

When we are in the midst of circumstances that appear to be impossible, we sometimes struggle to believe that there is nothing too hard for God to handle. When our finances get low, we doubt He can really provide the big dollars! If our children begin to use drugs or become wayward we doubt God can intervene in their lives. Believe Him, there is nothing too hard for Him (Jeremiah 32:27)! There is no circumstance that is hopeless. God is completely able to intervene in your circumstances.

Susan is a woman who was in a marriage with a man who did not love her. Her husband was harsh and cruel to her. She prayed for more than 10 years that God would change her husband, but her he remained the same. She began to doubt that God loved her and wondered if she could live the rest of her life in a marriage like this. Penny was a woman who desperately wanted to have children. She tried for five years to get pregnant and did every medical procedure possible to no avail. Penny knew her husband badly wanted children. Before they married, he spoke often of wanting enough children for a baseball team of his own. Penny felt as though God had abandoned her as she remained barren month after month, and year after year. Mary Beth is a widow whose children have forgotten her. They are too busy to call or come and visit her, and she spends her days and nights alone in her small apartment. She fears what will happen if she ever becomes ill as they cannot be bothered to help her with small tasks. They will not even make the time to join her for dinner. Mary Beth wonders if God has also rejected her.

Each of these women turned to God for their help and their hope. In each circumstance God heard their cries and restored to them the joy of their salvation in spite of her circumstance. These women did not experience a foolish, blissful happiness; they experienced a confident trust that God is in control and they can rest. God was able to work in each of these women’s lives even in the midst of terrible, painful circumstances. As each woman prayed, her heart became soft and pliable. As she internalized the Word of God all of them experienced God’s ministering in the midst of great pain. Every one of these women began this journey wondering how they were going to make it. Susan, Penny, and Mary Beth learned about God’s faithfulness (1 Corinthians 10:13). They learned that God doesn’t lie, and He doesn’t let us down. They also learned that God’s solutions are not always what we have in mind!

Are you absolutely convinced of God’s faithfulness in the seemingly impossible situations? Sometimes our circumstances demand an extraordinary amount of faith. This deeper faith in God develops as we begin to know and understand His Word, because His Word reveals who He is! Growing faith is the outcome of trusting in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, and walking in the Spirit. Faith involves the heart, which means it involves all of your thoughts, emotions, belief system, will, and your desires. How much faith do you have to have in order for God to act on your behalf? Each of these women began with great faith. Each one prayed and believed, and yet it looked like God was doing nothing. He was working (as He often does) in ways that were not immediately visible. All three women wondered if God no longer loved them.

Impossible circumstances in your life does not mean God has stopped loving you or that he has abandoned you.God does not abandon His children! Once we truly belong to Him, we are His for all time “Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love.” Jeremiah 31:3 (NKJV) My encouragement for you is to focus on the good that will come from your seemingly impossible circumstances rather than on the pain of the moment. Call out to God and he will answer you. Trust Him, He is actively involved in your “impossible” circumstance. The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and he knows those who trust in him. Nahum 1:7 (NKJV)