No Word from God Lacks Infinite Ability

David W Palmer

(Luke 1:37–38 NKJV) “For with God nothing will be impossible.” {38} Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

Mary asked the angel how it could be possible for her to become pregnant; she was a virgin. Gabriel explained that it would be through the seed of God’s word, and by the power of his Holy Spirit. Then he made this amazing, eternal, covenantal statement: “For with God nothing will be impossible.” This is remarkable and all encompassing; we would be wise to unpack it to ensure we fully understand exactly what it means; this is so we can operate in its fullness.

When he says “with” God, this means in close proximity—like walking “with” someone … or perhaps even closer; like a husband being “with” his wife. The promise of nothing impossible is available to us when we are “with” God—in close personal contact—where a private and intimate conversation occurs. It is so close that you can feel his heartbeat, perceive his expression, and experience his emotion and passion. When you are “with God” like this, you can receive the living seed of his word deep into your heart—your spiritual womb.

This brings us to the word “nothing”; it is made up of three Greek words that could be translated as: absolutely, not even one single word (rhema) from God is unable or powerless. This is another way of saying that every single word God speaks to you when he is “with” you is able, empowered, and unstoppable. In other words, if God said it to me, and if I heard it in my heart; then, if I really believe it, it will surely come to pass. Why? “For with God nothing will be impossible.”

“Then Mary said …” The opening phrase of verse 38 also teaches us much regarding receiving by faith in God’s word. Not just what we believe in our hearts, but what we believe and say is what comes into being for us. Later, Jesus taught this very principle:

(Mark 11:23 NKJV) “For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.”

Not only did Jesus illustrate this perfectly through his own life—by calming storms, casting out demons, and catching fish by speaking what he believed—but the New Testament gives us other examples:

(Mark 5:28 NKJV) For she said, “If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well.”

The woman with the issue of blood described in this story believed it, “said” it, did it, and then she received exactly what she believed, said, and did. We can all learn from Mary, Jesus, and this woman. We not only need to believe what God says to us; we need to say it and act on it; we need to make a pure confession of our faith. Words are crucially important. God watches over his words to perform them (Jer. 1:12), and he watches over our words too:

(Matthew 12:36 NKJV) “But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.”

Our words are extremely important to God. In truth, the power and authority of “life and death” is in our own tongue. God put it there:

(Proverbs 18:21 NKJV) “Death and life are in the power of the tongue ...”

We need to ensure that our tongue releases life exclusively, by saying only what God says—especially the specific promises he speaks into our hearts when we are “with” him.

In receiving what God had promised her, Mary said, “behold the maidservant of the Lord!” She was willingly offering her life in service to God. Mary was the chosen mother of Jesus, and the very first person to receive him into her life. This gave her a prominent place in God’s eternal word, but she still surrendered herself as a servant. This too is what Jesus did:

(Philippians 2:5–8 NLT) “You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. {6} Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. {7} Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, {8} he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.”

We “must have the same attitude” as Jesus; he was clearly divine—God’s Son with family privileges and firstborn status—but he didn’t cling to this when Father had an assignment for him. Instead, without losing his identity, he humbled himself and submitted like a slave—even though it ultimately cost his life. The Holy Spirit urges us to take the same attitude. Like Mary, we need to humbly submit our body, and especially our tongue, to God’s will for us despite all the exigent ramifications.

Today, I believe God is challenging us first to walk “with” him, and to receive his word for us deep into the soil of our hearts. He wants us to discipline our tongues to speak exclusively in line with him and his word. Next, he wants us to imitate Jesus’s attitude; and undertake the assignment for which he designed us and on which he is sending us. To succeed in this as God wants, like Jesus, we may temporarily need to let go of our privileges as his children, and submissively take on a servant’s role—subservient to what is required of us to birth his word, and to bring our assignment to a successful completion. Afterwards, like Jesus did, we can resume enjoying all of our privileges as God’s child and receive the [eternal] rewards of obedience and faith.