Impossible is Nothing
By Grant Gaines
In 1939 a graduate student at the University of California named George Dantzig was running late to his statistics class. While Dantzig was still making his way through traffic and across campus, his professor wrote two examples of famously unsolvable problems on the blackboard, not expecting his students to do anything other than marvel at the complexity of these problems. Dantzig, however, did not hear this disclaimer from his professor and wrote these problems in his notebook thinking they were the class’ homework assignment for that week.
After struggling through the two problems for a long time, Dantzig finally solved his “homework assignment” and turned the solved problems into his professor who was dumbfounded and ecstatic by the young man’s work.
George Dantzig went on to win a multitude of awards, conducted groundbreaking research, and is widely regarded as one of the most instrumental mathematicians of all time. But the root of his success all traces back to him solving those two “unsolvable” math problems. In Dantzig’s own words, “If someone had told me they were two famous unsolved problems, I probably wouldn’t have even tried to solve them.” George Dantzig was able to solve those problems because he didn’t know they were supposed to be unsolvable.1
What a great story and what a great illustration that is of our faith! When we put aside all of our doubt and unbelief, it’s amazing to see what God can do! The flip side of that is true as well. When we skeptically view the Bible and God’s ability to answer our prayers, we typically miss out on miracles. It reminds me of the old Confucius saying, “The man who says he can and the man who says he can’t are both right.” Dantzig didn’t know he wasn’t supposed to solve these problems and so he simply believed that there was an answer and sure enough, he solved them. The men and women in Christ’s hometown in Mark 6, however, fell on the wrong side of Confucius’ saying.
The chapter begins with Jesus returning to His childhood home of Nazareth after spending the last year or so traveling around the nation of Israel teaching, healing the sick, and performing miracles. You would think that when someone with as big of a celebrity-status as the Son of God showed up to see His friends and family they would be excited to see Him. Unfortunately, however, that’s not the way the story unfolded.
After arriving home Jesus went to the synagogue to teach His neighbors the truth of Who He was – the long-awaited Messiah, the Savior of the world, and the One whom the Scriptures promised. But instead of believing in Christ’s words or the miraculous signs He had performed beforehand, the people, “…took offense at Him” (Mark 6:3, NIV). And because of their doubt, “[Jesus] could not do any miracles there… He was amazed at their lack of faith” (Mark 6:5-6, NIV).
What’s so sad about this story is that leading up to this chapter there is story after story of Jesus performing miracles such as raising the dead, healing the sick, and casting out demons but no such miracles were performed in Nazareth because of their lack of faith.
Please don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying that the reason you still have your disease, the reason your marriage is struggling, or the reason you don’t have enough money to pay the bills at the end of the month is simply because you lack faith. I’m not trying to tell you that God is a magical genie and if you just believe or pray hard enough that He will give you whatever you want. In fact, Jesus, with an unwavering faith in His Father, begged God in the Garden of Gethsemane to allow Him to avoid the cross and do you remember what happened to Him? He still suffered an excruciating death on the cross.
So I’m not trying to teach that you just have to have more faith and you’ll get whatever you want. However, Christ does teach us that our faith does have at least some impact on the effectiveness of our prayers. The story in Mark 6 is certainly an excellent example of this truth and Jesus also said in Matthew 9:29 (NIV), “According to your faith it will be done to you.” Our faith – whether it is weak or strong – effects the outcome of our prayers.
If we ask God to do things yet doubt His ability to do so, we’re probably going to get what we expected-nothing. James 1:6-7 (NIV) says this very truth-“But when you ask [the Lord for something in prayer], you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.” If, however, we mimic George Dantzig and throw the word “impossible” out of our vocabulary, we will see more answers to prayers because of our faith in God’s ability. For while, “…with man it is impossible…with God all things are possible” (Mark 10:27, NIV).
Do you believe that God can answer your prayers today?
“Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the world they’ve been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It’s an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It’s a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing.”
-Mohammad Ali
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©Grant Gaines 2013
