WHEN THE TASK SEEMS IMPOSSIBLE

 

          As we near the end of the semester many students become overwhelmed with all that is left to be done. They begin to feel that they have more work, projects, test and papers to complete than they have time to do. The stress level sky rockets and many become paralyzed by the fear that they will not be able to get it all done.   Along with the feeling of not having enough time, is the seemly impossible task and circumstances that must be confronted.  Some find themselves needing to make 100 on the calculus final exam to end up with a C in the course.  This seems impossible because they have had difficulty with every test during the semester and they still don’t know how to take a partial derivative or how to integrate by parts.  Some are nearing the end of one stressful segment of life, by graduating from college only to find that a new stress is beginning.  The job market has collapsed, you have no savings left and you are wondering how you will make your car payment, pay rent, insurance and those 3 credit card bills if you have no job when school ends.  The fact is, at every stage in life we find circumstances and situations that present us with what appears to be an impossible task.  I want to talk about coping strategies for those periods in our lives.  Today’s message is entitled “WHEN THE TASK SEEMS IMPOSSIBLE” and I want to approach it by looking a several instances in the Bible where people were confronted by what appeared to be an impossible task.

I Sam. 13:5-14

          When facing a task that seems to be impossible DON’T PANIC.  At this time Saul had been king for only 2 years and he had only an army of 3000 men who were not trained soldiers.  The situation was not helped when even some of his 3000 men were losing heart and running away to hide.  What was Saul to do?  Israel could not go into battle without first honoring God and asking for his blessing.  Saul had already waited 7 days for Samuel who was to offer the blessing.  His situation was getting worse every day.  Saul panicked and his panicked condition led him to be impatient.  His panic and impatience led him to make poor decisions and to act outside of the will of God.  Under no circumstance was it within the authority of Saul to make this sacrificial offering to God. 

          As you draw near to the end of the semester and the pressure starts to increase, don’t panic.  If you panic, you are subject to become impatient with yourself and with God.  You will become fearful as to whether or not He will deliver you and you will be tempted to act outside of the will of God.  It will become easier to copy from someone else than to invest precious time in doing work for yourself.  It will seem easier to buy a paper that has been written by someone else than to waste valuable time struggling to write your own.  Lying and cheating will present themselves as viable options.  When we are in stressful situations the enemy always sees it as an opportunity to present us with options that are outside of the will of God.  At that time he will make the options readily available.  And he will present them as harmless and the best solution to the problem.  I can almost hear the enemy whispering verse 11 to Saul.  He sold Saul on the idea that this was the best solution to his problem.  When Samuel arrived Saul offered him that same solution.  Our enemy will never let you see the pitfalls of choices made as a result of panic and/or impatience.  He will keep you blind to the possible outcomes as long as possible.  However as soon as you give in and do what is wrong he will come right back and ridicule you for following his suggestion.  He probably told Saul, “You blew it”.  Had Saul not panicked he would not have become impatient and would not have sinned.  WHEN THE TASK SEEMS IMPOSSIBLE, DON’T PANIC.

2 KINGS 6:8-18

          Get a different perspective on the situation.  Initially the servant only saw in the natural and what he saw was frightening.  They had no army. They were two men and a defenseless city against a trained army.  This had to appear to him as a hopeless situation.  But Elisha had a different perspective on the matter.  He saw with a spiritual eye and he saw victory.  When the task seems impossible, try to get a different view of the situation.  Seek out wise council.  Talk to those whom God has place around you for support, your parents, your academic advisor, coordinator, etc.  Ask God to provide you with council on the situation. Elisha because he had a better perspective on the situation, was able to pray and help the servant to receive a better view. 

I SAM. 17:34-47

          When the task seems impossible, trust in God’s ability and not in your own.  David here was in his teens and was faced with a difficult task.  David drew on his experience with God.  As a young lad he had fought with a lion and a bear using only a sling shot and a shepherd’s rod.  David knew that his victory over these two wild creatures was a result of God’s deliverance.  He said in verse 37, just as God had delivered him from the lion and the bear, so He will deliver me from this Philistine.  If we are not careful, our first tendency when faced with difficult situations is to rely on and put trust in our own abilities.  This too is a trick of the enemy.  He knows that our strength is in God and that God’s strength is most effective on our behalf when we recognize our own weakness. 

          Also, be careful, because our enemy will also try to use others to convenience you to put your trust in your own ability.  Your friends will say Girls you know you should do this or that, or you can handle this by doing … With David he used Saul to try to get David to trust in his own ability.  (Verse 38-40)  David had experience with God.  He had no experience with these weapons used by men in battle.  His staff and sling had been enough in the hand of God before and he would trust God that they would continue to be enough.  When the task seems impossible resist the temptation to trust in your own abilities and place your trust in God.

JOHN 6:1-13

          When the task seems impossible surrender to God all that is available to you.  The disciples wanted to send the people away to get food for themselves but Jesus did not agree.  Jesus suggested that the disciples feed them before sending them away.  This, to the disciple, seemed to be an impossible task.  They were in a deserted place with only about $34.  Andrew remembered that there was a boy there with his lunch, but $34, 5 extra loaves of bread and two fish, were inadequate provisions for feeding over 5000 people.  By feeding the 5000, Jesus proved that when we surrender what we have to God, no amount is inadequate.  If your finances are running short, surrender what you have to God.  If you are running out of time, submit the time you have to God and watch Him bless it. Now while God is in the process of blessing your finances and time, don’t go out and foolishly create new bills making your deficiency worse, or waste valuable time playing around.  If you read the account in Mark 6, you will see that Jesus even gave a plan for how the food was to be distributed.  If your finances or time seem to be an impossible task, submit what you have to Jesus.  Let Him bless and multiply what you have and establish a plan for orderly dispersal.  Whether it is a few days, a few hours, a few dollars or a few loaves of bread, submit your meager resources to Jesus.  Remember:  while we try to add time to our day, dollars to our pocket or other resources to our advantage, Jesus multiplies.

JOSH 3:7-17

          When the task seems impossible, step out in faith at God’s command.  Going into Canaan had already proven to be a stumbling block for Israel once.  There fear of the giants in the land had caused them to not act on the promise of God and they had been forced to wonder in the wilderness for 40 years.  God had brought them all the way around the wilderness and still they had to face the giants, but now they also had to cross the Jordan River.  So the task had become even greater, but Joshua was expecting the Lord to work wonders (Verse 5).  Joshua received instructions from God and passed them on to the people.  Note that Joshua did not question God’s instructions.  He did not say now that sounds crazy.  What good is standing in the edge of the river going to do?  Joshua realized that it is not our responsibility to develop the plan for God, but rather it is our responsibility to step out in faith when we receive the plan of God.

MARK 10:23-27

          When the task seems impossible Remember With God All Things are Possible.

          So when the tasks of life seem impossible; 1) Don’t Panic, 2) Get a Different Perspective on the Matter, 3) Put Your Trust in God, 4) Surrender What Resources You Have to God, 5) Step Out in Faith at God’s Command, and 6) Remember With God All Things Are Possible.

 

4/13/2002