In all of the many Star Wars films (and there are too many now), one of my favorite segments is where Yoda is training the young Luke Skywalker in The Empire Strikes Back.
After Luke fails to lift his X-wing fighter out of the swamp by using the Force, he complains to Yoda, “You want the impossible.” Then he walks off into the woods to pout.
Of course, Yoda then proceeds to lift the X-wing fighter out of the swamp himself and sets it on dry land. Luke stares in amazement, “I don’t believe it.”
Yoda’s reply is classic, “That is why you fail.”
While the quasi-Gnostic, New Age worldview of the Star Wars saga makes me hesitant to use it as an example, I have to say that a good lesson can be learned in this instance.
In short, the “impossible” can only be accomplished by faith.
Indeed, God has a habit of asking his people to do “impossible” things. Unthinkable things. Nonsensical things. He asked Noah to build a 400 foot ark in the middle of dry land. He asked Gideon to send 32,000 troops home before the battle with the Midianites, leaving him only 300 men. And he asked Hosea to marry an unfaithful woman—a prostitute.
In all such instances, God calls his people to radical obedience. He calls us to trust Him.
But do we? The issue isn’t just whether we obey. The issue is how we obey. Do we do the impossible thing God is calling us to do with hope and confidence that all things works for good? Or do we obey God with a sense of resignation and despair?
Put differently, do we obey according to faith, or do we obey out of sheer duty?
I fear the latter is all too often the case. Sure, we may do the unthinkable thing God is asking us to do. But, we have already determined ahead of time that all hope is lost. No good can come from this, we think.
But there is a better way. And Abraham models it for us. Perhaps no one was tested more deeply and profoundly than Abraham when he was asked to sacrifice his one and only son (Gen 22:1).
Not only was this the beloved boy that he and Sarah had waited and longed for, but all the promises of God converged upon him. Abraham had been told that all nations would be blessed through his offspring—blessings that included the coming of the promised Messiah. And Isaac was the key to all of these promises.
While this scenario would certainly constitute a good basis for wallowing in despair, Abraham does not take this path. Instead, he does something radical.
He believes.
We see this amazing faith at a point in the story that is often overlooked. After reaching Mt. Moriah, Abraham tells his servants, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.”
Notice that Abraham expressly states that both he and the boy will return from the mountain. This is not just Abraham putting on a good face for his servants. Abraham really believed that somehow, someway God would keep his promises regarding Isaac.
In fact, Hebrews 11:19 tells us why Abraham was so confident, “Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead.”
In other words, Abraham didn’t just obey God. He obeyed with hopefulness. He obeyed with a godly optimism. And that is the only way we can obey God in the midst of unthinkable trials. And it is the only way we can obey God over the long term.
Our obedience, like Abraham’s, must flow from belief that “for those who love God all things work together for good” (Rom 8:28).
lex says
What do you think of representations of this event where he is in absolute anguish to fulfill this requirement? I am reminded of a children’s book where says (paraphrase), “With hot, anguished tears, he lifted his knife…” and in music, “Lord, show me another way…”
I once taught this in a lesson where I asserted that between Gen. 22:2 and verse 3 , we have an inside track into Abraham’s thought process, we could insert Hebrews 11:19 as a thought bubble. between verse 2 and 3. It was not well received because I think people wanted an example of anguished obedience and the popular representations “feel right”
Your thoughts?
Brandon says
Lex has an interesting point. It’s impossible to know every detail, but Abraham seemed to exhibit confidence rather than Gethsemane-like anguish.
Heshimu says
Even the Lord overcame Gethsemane with triumph and hope. He went forward boldly, and endured for the joy set before Him, telling the accusers that they’d see Him next in clouds of glory. Good article. Hope is believing what we know about God is truer than our fears.
Jim Pemberton says
Part of the issue today isn’t a matter of obeying God, but of knowing what he is requiring of us. I would argue that God didn’t leave Noah and Abraham any doubt of what he wanted them to do. however, the issue today is often applied to particulars not covered in the Scriptures with regard to our individual lives.
For example, I recall one fellow in Bible college who was distraught with the distinct impression that God was calling him to be a missionary to the Bedouin. However, it never happened. Why? Was it because he was disobedient for not pursuing it? If God wanted him to be a missionary to the Bedouin he would have become a missionary to the Bedouin.
I have noticed that some young men who feel called to the Gospel ministry are intentionally dissuaded by well-intentioned pastors who figure that only someone truly called will have the fortitude to follow that vocation anyway. Good endeavors are often fraught with resistance. Sometimes resistance is a sign that we are doing the right thing. Sometimes resistance is a sign that we should back off. The mitigating factor is Scriptural wisdom. Some people who pursue the pulpit actually have no business in the pulpit and having a need for someone to fill the pulpit is no excuse to put just anyone in it.
The same holds true for any apparently good endeavor. We might not get a clear direction from the Holy Spirit not to go into Macedonia, but we should be able to discern it if we have a good principle from the Scriptures.
Now this is no excuse for not being obedient to God in the things that he clearly calls all believers to do in the Scriptures. Those things that are clear are things that we should obey, trusting in God for them. Those things that are not clear are things we should approach with all biblical wisdom understanding the difference between God’s revealed will and God’s secret will.
Richard UK says
Michael
I think your post doesn’t quite address the question in its title.
Clearly we are to obey God willingly in difficult or painful decisions but this is not the same as obeying God optimistically when faced with the impossible
Two impossible commands jump to my mind. ‘Put to death the flesh’. This is not just my lack of faith – I have yet to see anyone succeed in this. Also ‘be ye perfect’.
These surely do not call for optimism but something closer to resignation that we cannot obey them
Surely?
Barbara Jackson says
Is there not a temptation to equate fully persuaded reason with stoicism at minimum or a jubilant “Praise the Lord!” at the other extreme? Jesus reminds us to count the cost. Were the cost for Abraham solely financial or even progeny, reasoned resignation might be appropriate.
Here the cost required was the relationship of a father and a cherished son.
Agonized tears must never be equated with doubt. That is a false dichotomy which reflects an impoverished understanding of what is to be fully human. May we never conclude that personal anguish is the antithesis of trusting obedience.
Gwenn says
Amen. I could not agree more.
Jeff Rickel says
Wow is this a difficult subject. I think we need to walk in Wisdom and common sense which is largely the book of Proverbs, but still need to take a step in faith if we are on a journey God has clearly led us on and the next step involves something outside our own limited abilities. So many times I have done silly and foolish things expecting because I am a Christian God will look after me. I survived, but there were some very bad results from this. Other times, I have gone, “God this is where you led me and if this is just me I am totally going to fail, but it is for you and your glory and I don’t see any other way out but by your grace”. This is where I have seen some huge answers to prayer. Sometimes the Christian life seems to be keeping within a set of boundaries not going too far in either direction. I keep thinking of an old Ricky Van Shelton song “Keep it
Between the Lines: here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NxNtDUX8hw4
1 Corinthians 13:11-15
For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.
Dean says
When I think of Jeremiah or Job I get the picture that there may be much suffering in obedience. When I think of Jonah I understood he thought the worst & gave into his fear, yet in the end he had nothing to fear. Yes we always need to be reminded of Rom 8:28.
When it comes to godly expression I find the psalms addresses our manifold circumstances. In as much as our faith should reflect joyful or optimistic obedience we often struggle in that. Abrahams life had its ups & downs too.
Romans instructs us to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice. Rom 12:1. And in this we are called to mirror Abraham & the Christ & walk in humility & obedience.
Richard F says
It is a slight pity that the posts have veered away from addressing the very interesting point encapsulated in the blog’s title about the ‘Impossible’.
Of course we all know that we should obey God with a cheerful heart, whether it is a specific task or whether it is bearing up under trials.
But these amount to ‘Do your best, Jesus will make up for the rest’.
But we are not called to do our best; we are called to be perfect (and let’s not try to dilute that by translating it as ‘mature’ etc). And perfection is impossible. We are also told to love our neighbour as ourselves and I don’t know anyone who even sets out to do this – we always favour ourselves and our biological family above others. Anyone with two cars in the family is arguably breaking this commandment. So what do we do – that’s what the title asks
Obviously one thing is to spend time on oour knees in tears confessing our sins of commission but even more, our sins of ommission. Then what?
There are clues in scripture, in references to the new creation and an altered mindset where we have died to self. This is what we need, here or elsewhere, to explore. Too much we tend to talk about the old creature doing better. That’s not really it