Day 13 - Impossible Mission!

Written By: Pat Hardin

SCRIPTURE
“And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6; ESV)

DEVOTIONAL
If you have ever tried to do something which you were not trained or educated to do, then you may have felt like you were trying to accomplish an impossible mission. You may have been told that you were not qualified, or that it couldn’t be done, or maybe even that nobody had ever done it before. Someone may have even offered up examples of failures for you to consider before you undertook this impossible mission. All of those things happened to me.

Decades ago, my family made the impossible decision for me to apply for a transfer to Loganville. The company I worked for did not allow transfers of this type, I wasn’t qualified for the position that was available, and even though others had tried it, nobody had ever been successful. It looked as though the request was doomed before I even submitted it, but my brothers and sisters in Christ encouraged me to walk in faith and submit the request. Our District Manager made an unscheduled visit to my small office on his way to work the following week and stopped to chat with me. He asked why I wanted to transfer, and when he found out that my family wanted to move to a small town and join a church there, he commented that he also belonged to a similar church and who knew what God might do? The next day my request was approved and our journey began.

I believed God was leading me into Christian ministry, but didn’t ever imagine that this first step of obedience would ultimately lead me to a change in careers, the foreign mission field, and then a staff position here at the Grove. It all began with a step of faith when the world around me told me I was crazy for embarking on a seemingly impossible mission. I am humbled by the promise, God “rewards those who seek him.” I am so thankful that Jesus taught us to have audacious faith in Matthew 19:26, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (NASB)
 
ACTION STEP
Spend time seeking God, searching for His vision to guide you through this process of becoming more like Jesus. Perhaps God desires for you to disciple someone in your community group, or perhaps He wants you to ask someone to disciple you. Spend time prayerfully considering the changes God wants to make in your life to grow your faith in Him. 
 
PRAYER TIME
Speak to God in prayer today, asking Him to reveal the impossible mission He has in store for you. Is it walking next door and inviting your lost neighbor to dinner? Is it sitting next to the outcast on the bus, or at the lunch table? Is it taking a meal to a sick family, or signing up to serve at a community event? Pray specifically for God to give you His eyes to see the opportunities around you to share His love in seemingly impossible ways.

Father, help me put aside my insecurities and feelings of helplessness, and help me learn to trust Your all-sufficient power. Help me look beyond my circumstances, and give me “mission possible” eyes to see what You can accomplish with my life, through faith. Help my unbelief, and please use me to show others that nothing is impossible with you. Amen!