Have you ever felt as if you were in an impossible situation?  Welcome to the very large crowd of humanity.  Last night, my husband and I were watching (again!) Darkest Hour, about Winston Churchill at the start of World War II.  As Hitler was taking over country after country in continental Europe, England found itself in an impossible situation.  Its army was cornered in Dunkirk, with Hitler’s armies closing in on three sides and the English Channel on the fourth side.  Churchill knew that he could possibly lose his entire army.  Roosevelt had so far refused to give support because Congress would not allow it.  Most in Churchill’s war cabinet, seeing the impossibility of the situation, wanted him to negotiate for peace with Hitler through Mussolini.  According to the movie, Churchill went out and spoke with some local citizens and also met with King George VI, and they, nearly unanimously, rejected the idea of negotiating with Hitler.  Churchill then gave an inspiring speech in Parliament, his citizen flotilla of ships saved most of the soldiers on the beaches of Dunkirk, and in the end, as we know, Hitler was defeated.

We serve the God of impossible situations.  He seems to love them.  It gives Him credibility when there are no further options but to reach out to Him, pray and trust that He will save, and yet, if He chooses not to save us, we go on anyway.  Abraham, the father of faith, believed that God could give him a son, even when he and Sarah were too old.  He maintained his faith, even when God required him to sacrifice his son.  Moses had faith that God could save millions cornered between the Egyptian army and the Red Sea.  Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, when threatened with a fiery death for not worshipping a statue, said to King Nebuchadnezzar:

 O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.  If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.  But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set. (Daniel 3:16 – 18)

There were also times when God allowed the situation to continue through to its end.  Many of the prophets died as martyrs.  Jesus prayed, “O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.”  (Matthew 26:39)  God did not miraculously get Jesus down off the cross, and yet Jesus maintained his faith and love.

In whatever impossible situation we find ourselves, we can follow their example.  Whether God saves us from the situation or not, we will maintain our love and faith in God.

We will not be careful to answer whatever situation stares us in the face.  If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, or from whatever it is, and he will deliver us out of it if He is willing.  But if not, be it known unto thee (the devil accusing us), that we will not serve thy gods, or let go of God’s divine principles that guide us.