With God, everything is possible, takes on a new perspective when you are relying on the impossible!
I came to know this in November of 2023 when an infection on my eye lid turned into inflammation in the center of my eyeball and my long distant vision was impaired. Yes sister girl is still wearing reading glasses!
I went from 20/20 vision on a Friday to 20/80 on Wednesday.
After repeated visits to the eye specialist with little progress, I asked if was it possible for my vision to return to 20/20.
The doctor said is it possible? Yes, but very unlikely. I cannot begin to tell you the thoughts that ran through my mind.
Especially after I had recently just come off almost 18 months of fighting infection after infection. That experience was the catalyst for a study I did on; What the Bible says about not being okay.
I just couldn’t believe that here I was with another infection.
Tears rolled down my face as I walked to my car. I kept thinking if I lose my sight who’s going to care for my daughter and husband who are both walking through a chronic illness?
On the drive home, the scripture that came to mind was with God everything is possible. In my desperation, I needed to know what that meant exactly! Because my vision was relying on the truth of this promise.
In the days ahead I opened my Bible and notebook and began to study.
With God Everything Is Possible
Matthew 19:26 in the New Living Translation says; “Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible.”
Immediately, what stood out to me were the words it is impossible. So I asked myself; what is impossible? What is the “it” Jesus was referring to?
To get a full understanding of what Jesus was referring to, we need to read within the context of the passage by reading the previous verses.
Matthew 19:16-26 (NLT)
Matthew 19:16-26 in the New Living Translation says; Someone came to Jesus with this question: “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?”
17 “Why ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. But to answer your question—if you want to receive eternal life, keep the commandments.”
18 “Which ones?” the man asked. And Jesus replied: “‘You must not murder. You must not commit adultery. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely. 19 Honor your father and mother. Love your neighbor as yourself.”
20 “I’ve obeyed all these commandments,” the young man replied. “What else must I do?”
21 Jesus told him, “If you want to be perfect, go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” 22 But when the young man heard this, he went away sad, for he had many possessions.
23 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “I tell you the truth, it is very hard for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. 24 I’ll say it again—it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!”
25 The disciples were astounded. “Then who in the world can be saved?” they asked. 26 Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible.”
Breaking It Down
Now that we’ve read the passages that led up to verse 26, let’s re-examine verse 26.
“Jesus looked at them intently and said Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible.”
From the previous verses, we can conclude that “it” refers to the commandments.
Jesus told the disciples, if you want to receive eternal life keep the commandments. However, in human efforts alone, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible.
I have read this passage many times before. But had mostly focused on the promise – that with God everything is possible. Yet, there is a small word within the text that makes all the difference in whether or not we receive that promise.
If you missed it, it’s the word nestled between but and God – with. Now let’s examine the word “with”.
In the English language, with is known as a preposition word that governs and usually precedes a noun. In addition by definition, the word with means; to be accompanied by another person, place, or thing.
To be with God means, I’m not living life on my own. My life is accompanied with Him.
What Jesus is saying here is that keeping the commandments in our human efforts is impossible. But when we’re living with God everything is possible.
Applying Matthew 19:26 To Everyday Life
Since all scripture is for our instruction (Romans 15:4) we can take this principle Jesus is teaching the disciples and apply it to our everyday life. This is what I did regarding my vision. Let me show you how.
When meditating on Matthew 19:26 I identified what was humanly impossible, what was God’s instruction to me, and the promise I have for obeying His instructions.
Humanly speaking, the doctor said my vision being restored to 20/20 vision was unlikely.
However, God’s instructions to me are that when I live with Him by living righteously – not perfectly, but rather by the conviction of the Holy Spirit, the promise I have is that everything is possible.
Living with God is about taking out ordinary life and placing it before Him. Being aware of who we are in Christ and living for Him.
Living With God
Paul explains just how plain this is in Romans 12:1-2 (The Message Translation);
“So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering.
Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God.
You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.”
I don’t know about you but this got me excited. Now I can stand with great conviction and expectation that as I live with God, everything including restoring my vision is possible.
I began to praise God for His faithfulness to show me a fresh revelation of His word as I sought Him.
Writing a confession of God’s promises is something we started in 2007. We’ve written a financial confession, and a healing confession when I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis and Andre was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease.
So I wrote a declaration of God’s promises to stand on while I was waiting for my eyes to be healed.
Since our purpose is to provide practical and biblical resources to help you make time for matters most, I created a study guide to help you follow along and apply the principles of this verse to your situation.
You can download the worksheet from our Community Library or by filling out the form at the end of this post.
Everything Is Possible
Earlier this month (April 2024) I went back to the eye specialist and I am happy to report that both eyes have been restored to 20/20 vision! Hallelujah!!
The look on my doctor’s face when he saw me was priceless!
He was smiling from ear to ear. And said he could tell I was feeling better even without looking at my test results. The whole countenance on my face looked better and brighter.
You have heard us say many times before that, Joy comes from what we know (God’s truth) not how we feel. And over the last 6 months, I had to labor to walk in that joy.
Spirit & The Natural Working Together
As I have grown in my faith I have learned that quoting scripture alone is not enough.
Don’t get me wrong, there are times when God will and does provide mana as He did for the Israelites. However, when the Israelites arrived in the promised land He gave them instructions to obey His commands and work the land that was flowing with milk and honey!
I have come to embrace this principle of obeying the Lord and doing my part in the natural after understanding Ephesians 6:13 (AMPC) Therefore put on God’s complete armor, that you may be able to resist and stand your ground on the evil day [of danger], and, having done all [the crisis demands], to stand [firmly in your place].
Did you catch that – “having done all the crisis demand to stand”?
We can have great peace and confidence in standing on God’s promises when we know we have done all that the crisis demands. This means seeking God and doing our part in the natural.
Therefore, not only was I clinging to God’s Word, but I also sought God as to what I could do in the natural while I waited upon Him.
This is something we have repeatedly practiced on our health journey. Andre and I strongly believe in standing on God’s promises and taking our medicine, while doing our part in the natural.
We cannot eat sugar all day and expect God to heal us from diabetes.
What I Did
In addition to declaring God’s promises for my healing, I asked the doctors what could I do. More specifically, what would help heal the infection, reduce the inflammation, and strengthen my eyes.
My doctor prescribed some medicated eye drops and suggested that I apply a heat compress to my eyes twice a day, and gently rub my eyelids.
Since he harped on, don’t rub too hard, I decided to use the Fine Line Eraser from my OMG Blaster set, to gently rub my eyelids.
In addition, I researched supplements that aided in strengthening my eyes.
I found an eye supplement and collagen that I had contemplating taking for a while. It was just God’s perfect timing when I decided to give it a try.
To be honest, I was hesitant to take collagen in the past because it wasn’t vegan. However, after researching the importance of replacing the collagen we lose as we age, I realized it was a supplement I needed to add.
Full Disclosure
Also, I want to mention, I didn’t just start taking these supplements. I printed the fact sheet and ingredients list and took it to my doctor. This was to make sure there were no drug interactions, and it was okay to take them.
This is something we encourage everyone to do before starting a new exercise routine or adding new supplements to your health regimen. Not everything that works for others will work for your situation or your body. This is why seeking God first in everything we do is so important.
For my body and circumstance, this was right for me. And I have found that doing my research and speaking with my doctors have brought me great peace in every decision we have made along the way.
I am so grateful for all the pieces working together for my good!
In The End
God’s living Word is the same yesterday, today, and forever. That is why I learn something new every time I read His Word, even a familiar passage.
When life happens, I encourage you to open the Word of God. Find a promise that you can stand on, and identify the instruction. Then ask the Holy Spirit to help you walk it out!
Because as you live with God, everything you need will be possible!
PS…Don’t forget to download the study guide from the Community Library or by filing out the form below.
*Medical Disclaimer: Andre and Timberley Gray (Living Our Priorities.com) are NOT qualified to diagnosis, treat or give medical advice on this website. Our intention is only to share our personal health journey with chronic illness, and should not be considered as medical advice. Always consult with YOUR DOCTOR for medical care! Although we are affiliates with Ashley Black Guru products and an independent social media marketer for Modere, we are only sharing what has worked for us and encourage you to do their own research.
~ Timberley Gray
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