Sometimes we face situations where we simply do not see a way forward. We have prayed, we have waited, and maybe we have done everything we know to do, but nothing seems to change. After some time, we can begin to think, “Maybe this is impossible.”
The Bible is full of people who found themselves in exactly this place. Abraham and Sarah waited many years for the son God had promised them. Israel stood before the Red Sea with Pharaoh’s army behind them. David faced Goliath when nobody believed he had a chance. Again and again, God’s people came to a place where their own strength was not enough, and very often this became the place where they discovered what God could do.
This week’s Hebrew phrase is HaKol Efshar (הַכֹּל אֶפְשָׁר, pronounced: hah-KOHL ef-SHAR), meaning “All things are possible.” HaKol means “everything” or “all,” and efshar means “possible.” I love this phrase because it reminds us of something we can easily forget when we are under pressure: what is impossible for us is not impossible for God.
We see this very clearly in the story of Abraham and Sarah. God had promised them a son, but the years passed until, from a human point of view, there was no reason to believe it could still happen. When Sarah heard that she would have a son, she laughed. But the Lord answered with a simple question:
“Is anything too hard for the LORD?”
Genesis 18:14
This is a question we should sometimes ask ourselves. Is anything too hard for the Lord? Abraham could not make God’s promise happen, and Sarah could not change her circumstances. But God’s promise was never dependent upon their human ability. Many years later, Jeremiah prayed with the same confidence, declaring that nothing was too difficult for God (Jeremiah 32:17).
This truth runs throughout Scripture. When God’s people reached the end of what they could do, they discovered that they had not reached the end of what God could do.
Then we come to Yeshua. In Mark 9, a father brings his suffering son to Him. The disciples have already tried to help but could not, and you can almost hear the disappointment in the father’s words. He asks Yeshua to have compassion and help them if He is able to do anything. Yeshua answers him:
“If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.” — Mark 9:23
HaKol Efshar. All things are possible.
But I think what happens next is just as important. The father does not pretend that his faith is perfect. He comes honestly before Yeshua and admits that he believes while also asking for help with his unbelief.
Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears,
“Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”
Mark 9:24
I love his honesty because many of us know exactly what that feels like. We believe God, but sometimes we also struggle. We pray, but questions remain. This man did not wait until his faith felt perfect before coming to Yeshua. He brought Yeshua the faith he had, and he brought Him his weakness as well.
This teaches us something important about HaKol Efshar. Faith does not mean pretending that the problem is small, and it does not mean believing that God must do everything exactly the way we want. Faith means knowing that the God we are praying to is greater than the situation we are facing. Yeshua makes this even clearer in Matthew 19:26 when He teaches that what is impossible with people is possible with God.
There are things we simply cannot do ourselves. There are doors we cannot open, people we cannot change, circumstances we cannot control, and answers we cannot produce. But our limitations are not God’s limitations. Sometimes we reach the end of our own ability, and that is where we have to decide again where our confidence really belongs.
Maybe there is something in your life today that feels impossible. Maybe you have prayed about it many times and you are tired of waiting. You do not have to pretend that you understand what God will do or how He will answer. Bring it to Yeshua. Bring Him your faith, your questions, and even the places where you are struggling to believe. The same question God asked Abraham still speaks to us today: Is anything too hard for the Lord?
HaKol Efshar. With God, all things are possible.
Prayer:
“Lord, You know the situations in my life that feel impossible. You know where I have been waiting, where I am tired, and where my faith has become weak. Help me not to measure Your power by what I can see. Like the father who came to Yeshua, I bring You my faith and also my unbelief. Help me to trust You again. I may not know how You will answer, but I know that nothing is too difficult for You. HaKol Efshar. With You, all things are possible. Amen.”
Blessings from Israel,
Pastor Israel