Embracing the Impossible: Opening Your Heart to God's Power

Many of us find ourselves reflecting on the past and contemplating the future. We may be carrying burdens from the previous year - challenges that seem insurmountable, relationships that appear irreparable, or dreams that feel out of reach. It's easy to become disheartened and lose hope for positive change. But what if this year could be different? What if we opened our hearts to the possibility of God doing the impossible in our lives?

Mark chapter 6 challenges us to be open to Jesus doing the impossible in your life this year. It's a timely word as we look ahead to the coming months, unsure of what they may hold.

Understanding God's Compassion

The foundation for embracing the impossible starts with truly grasping God's deep compassion for us. In Mark 6, we see Jesus and his disciples attempting to get away for some much-needed rest. But when they arrive at their destination, they're met by a massive crowd of 15,000-20,000 people seeking help and hope.

How does Jesus respond? The text says, "he felt compassion for them because they were like sheep without a shepherd" (Mark 6:34). This wasn't just surface-level pity. The original language conveys that Jesus felt their pain in his very core - in his gut, in his inner being.

This is a profound truth we often forget: Jesus doesn't just know about our struggles intellectually. He feels them deeply and personally. Whether it's loneliness, addiction, worry about the state of the world, or heartbreak over prodigal children - Jesus understands and cares on a level deeper than we can fathom.

As we look to the new year, we can take comfort in knowing that whatever challenges we face, we have a Savior who truly gets it. It's in Jesus' very nature to want to help us. We don't have to twist his arm or convince him to care. He already does, more than we know.

Instilling a New Vision
Often, our limited human perspective keeps us from seeing the full potential of what God wants to do in and through us. We get stuck focusing on problems and scarcity, while God sees endless possibilities.

When the disciples suggested sending the crowd away to find food, Jesus gave them a seemingly impossible command: "You give them something to eat" (Mark 6:37). Their immediate response was to focus on the problem - the enormous cost it would take to feed so many people.

But Jesus was about to use this impossible circumstance to demonstrate his awesome power and give the disciples a new vision. He took their meager resources - five loaves and two fish - and multiplied them to feed the entire multitude with plenty left over.

This miracle teaches us a profound lesson: little becomes much when placed in the Lord's hands. As we enter the new year, we need to expand our vision beyond what seems logical or possible from a human standpoint. God isn't limited by our resources or circumstances. He specializes in taking what little we have and multiplying it for his purposes when we surrender it to him.

What areas of your life need a fresh vision from God? Your marriage? Your singleness? Your career? Your ministry? Don't be afraid to dream big and ask God to do what only he can do.

Multiplying Limited Resources
The feeding of the 5,000 powerfully illustrates God's ability to multiply limited resources. When we place what we have - however insignificant it may seem - into God's hands, he can do amazing things with it.

This principle applies to every area of our lives. Maybe you feel like you don't have enough time, energy, money, or talent to make a difference. But God isn't asking you to produce the results on your own. He's simply asking you to offer what you do have to him in faith.

Remember Moses, who felt completely inadequate for the task God gave him? The Lord's first question to him was, "What is that in your hand?" (Exodus 4:2). It was just a simple staff, but in God's hands it became a powerful instrument.

What's in your hand as you enter this new year? What resources, abilities, or opportunities do you have - even if they seem small? Don't discount them. Instead, intentionally place them in God's hands and watch what he can do.

This may require letting go of worry, frustration, and the need for control. Pastor Dennis gave a powerful visual of physically opening his hands before God, symbolically releasing his concerns and limited resources to the Lord. It's an act of trust that says, "God, I don't have much, but what I have is yours. Please use it as you see fit."

Empowering Resistance to Temptation
As we open our hearts to God doing new things, we must also be prepared for opposition and temptation. The feeding of the 5,000 stirred up misguided enthusiasm in the crowd. They wanted to forcibly make Jesus king, envisioning a political and military revolution. But this wasn't God's plan or timing.

Jesus had to literally force his disciples to leave the scene by boat, knowing they too were caught up in the excitement and temptation of earthly power. We often face similar temptations to take matters into our own hands or pursue paths that seem good but aren't God's best for us.

The good news is that God doesn't just give us big visions and then leave us to resist temptation on our own. He empowers us to stand firm. As 1 Corinthians 10:13 reminds us, "No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it."

When we feel weak in the face of temptation, we can surrender to God with uplifted hands, asking for his strength to endure. He is faithful to supply the courage and power we need to resist.

Supplying Abundant Courage
Perhaps one of the greatest needs we have as we face a new year is courage. The disciples found themselves in a terrifying situation, straining at the oars against a fierce wind for hours. When Jesus came to them walking on the water, they were too afraid to even recognize him at first.

His words to them resonate with us today: "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid" (Mark 6:50). Jesus wasn't a passive observer of their struggle. He came to them in the midst of the storm, revealing his divine power and presence.

We may enter this new year feeling discouraged, wondering how we'll face the challenges ahead. But Jesus offers us his courage. He invites us to recognize his presence in our storms and to welcome him into our boat. His power can calm the winds that rage against us.

Interestingly, Mark notes that the disciples "had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened" (Mark 6:52). Even after witnessing an incredible miracle, they struggled to trust Jesus in the next crisis. This reminds us that experiencing God's power once doesn't automatically produce unshakable faith. We must continually choose to soften our hearts and trust him anew in each situation.

Trusting God for the Impossible
As we stand at the beginning of a new year, the fundamental question we must ask ourselves is this: Can we trust God? Is he truly trustworthy to handle our impossible situations?

Pastor Dennis shared a powerful story of a man who lost everything in the 2008 recession. In a moment of desperation, he discovered an old safe on his property. Inside was just $300 - not the windfall he'd hoped for, but enough to provide food for a few days. As he walked back to tell his wife, he noticed something in the ground. It was a simple bracelet with two words: "Trust me."

In that moment, this man realized God was speaking directly to his heart. While God may not always give us everything we want, he promises to provide what we truly need. Our part is simply to trust him.

This year, God is extending the same invitation to each of us. Will we trust him with our impossible situations? Will we open our hearts to the new things he wants to do, even if they don't align with our expectations?

None of us knows exactly what this year will hold. But we can be certain of this: whatever we face, we will never face it alone. The God who multiplies loaves and fishes, who walks on water, who feels our pain and supplies courage in our weakness - this God is with us. And with him, all things are possible.

As you step into the new year, consider making a fresh commitment to trust God with your impossibilities. Share your decision with someone who can encourage you. And remember the simple but profound words that can carry us through any circumstance: "Trust me."

May this be the year we open our hearts fully to all God wants to do in and through us. The impossible just might become possible.