Believing Impossible Things

“There is no use trying,” said Alice; “one can’t believe impossible things.” “I dare say you haven’t had much practice,” said the Queen. “When I was your age, I always did it for half an hour a day. Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.” – Lewis Carroll

I have led a blameless life; I have trusted in the Lord without wavering. – Psalm 26:1

Abraham believed the lord, and the Lord counted him as righteous because of his faith. – Genesis 15:6

The first quote is from a magnet on my refrigerator. I don’t know where it came from or who gave it to me, but I like it. And I see it every day, though I don’t often read it. But it’s there, and it reminds me, in the charming way of Alice and the Queen, that one can believe the impossible.

Then I was reading my Bible the other day, and came across Psalm 26. It’s a psalm that King David wrote, and as I read it, I mentally screeched to a halt. Wait a minute, a blameless life? This is King David talking. The guy that saw a married woman bathing on her roof. Then committed adultery with her. When she got pregnant, he sent her husband off to the front lines of war to get killed. This is the man who wasn’t a perfect parent (I only know of one perfect parent, and His kids mess up all the time, but that’s not the point here). This is the youngest son of many, who watched the sheep, killed a bear and a lion, great soldier and warrior, became the king, yeah, a great guy, but a person. A person who still makes mistakes and really couldn’t be classified as “blameless.” But it goes on to clarify: I trusted in the Lord without wavering.

Immediately I thought of the verse in Genesis where Abraham believes what God tells him about how his life is going to be, and God considers Abraham righteous (blameless) because of his faith.

Both David and Abraham had some pretty specific things to believe God about. David was anointed as a teenage boy as the future king. And Abraham was told that he was going to have a son and be the father of many nations, with descendants too numerous to keep sorted out.

But I have promises from God, too. There is a plan and a future for my life that will be good for me. God uses everything in my life for my good. God will complete the work that He began in my life. He’ll never leave me or forsake me or even disown me. It’s not super easy to keep them at the front of my mind, but it’s even harder to trust in Jesus without wavering. THAT’S the hard part.

But, (how many sentences/paragraphs have I begun with “but”??) can I do like the Queen and believe impossible things? Why not? I have a God who specializes in the impossible.

Always be joyful.

Pray continually.

Be thankful in all circumstances.

Believe the impossible. Without wavering.

That’s quite the list.