It's Possible!

Several years ago Scott and I were out for a walk when he witnessed a terrible accident. A car made a left turn into a motorcyclist, sending him sliding into a telephone pole, his bike on top of him. He was not wearing a helmet. A gruesome scene. One of his legs was still pinned under his bike, his broken head was resting on the curb. Scott talked to him, telling him to hang on; EMS was on its way. People had started to gather, and some made sure the occupants of the car stayed put. A man appeared suggesting someone attempt to place a tourniquet on the crushed leg. Together he and Scott lifted the motorcycle and quickly placed Scott's belt around the man's thigh; his femoral artery had been severed. Despite efforts, the situation did not look good. Each time I looked at the motorcyclist, crucial minutes seemed to instantly elapse. When I listened for the wail of the ambulance, it was as if hours had passed. We were all helpless. And, I have to admit, even as I dropped to one knee and began to call on Jesus, it appeared hopeless.  

A friend, an ER nurse at the local hospital, said he'd been taken to surgery the moment he'd arrived; it didn't look good. And, I have to be honest, as I walked our dogs the following morning, I even placed a small bouquet of wildflowers at the scene. I checked the obituaries daily until I found one that seemed to coincide with the circumstances. A man about the same age, a motorcyclist, had passed on the same day as the accident. Scott and I went to the funeral to offer our condolences. 

"How did you know him?" his sister asked.

"We witnessed the accident," I explained.

"What accident?"

We had the wrong guy. And time would reveal, we had the wrong outcome. "Our guy" was very much alive! I had been checking the obituaries for a man who wasn't dead! Where was my hope?

The events surrounding that accident still replay in my mind. When I'm praying for "the impossible," when the evidence points to utter failure, or even, death, I remember that what I see is not necessarily what I get. Helplessness does not equal hopelessness, but is the place we witness all that God can do. Doctors, or accountants, or reporters may tell us what they know, but God will show us who He is. He is not limited by natural laws or by flesh and blood -- He created those things. The wind and waves obey Him. The hearts of men are known by Him and He numbers our days. When we call on the name of Jesus, anything is possible. 

Are you writing your own obituary before you've listened to God whisper, "You are healed"? Are you grieving the divorce before you have opened your heart to God's restoration? Have you forgotten the dream before the day has even dawned? Have you given up before God has told you your race is over? Believe, please believe. All things are possible to him who believes.