Nothing is impossible with God. Walk with and have faith in him as a new year begins.

The petite teenage girl was the last of her family to turn in for the night. Mary crept quietly across the small cobblestone courtyard that separated the family home from the sleeping quarters. As the last vestiges of her upcoming wedding to Joseph the carpenter occupied her mind, Mary failed to see the stranger standing in the shadows until he spoke.

Mysteriously, the stranger made no threatening movements, and when he spoke, there was an incredible atmosphere of peace. “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God!” How did he know her name? And how did he know what God thought about her? Without identifying himself, this visitor in the night spoke a most incredible message. He said Mary had been selected from among all the women of history to bear a son, named Jesus. This child would be the Son of the Highest, and sit on the throne of his father, David.

Mary could not believe what she was hearing! Her baby would be Israel’s king? The messiah? “How could this happen?” she wondered aloud. In her innocence she protested, “I have never been with a man. Joseph and I have pledged to be faithfully celibate until our wedding!”

The angel interrupted her protests by telling her that God’s promise would come through miraculous means. As Mary’s mind scrambled to attempt to comprehend, Gabriel uttered a memorable statement: “For with God nothing will be impossible!” Overcome with grace, Mary could only surrender by saying, “Behold, the maidservant of the Lord. Let it be according to your word.” As those words gushed from her innermost being, she became pregnant with the promise.

Later, as she reflected upon her experience, Mary might have remembered the story of Sarah she had heard many times in the synagogue services. Although Sarah, the 90-year-old wife of Abraham, was at the opposite end of the spectrum of life, she, too, heard words similar to those spoken by Mary’s heavenly visitor.

While preparing a meal for her husband and three strangers who suddenly appeared at their home, Sarah heard one of them promise that she would have a son by this time next year (Genesis 18). The very idea was so beyond her age and ability that Sarah could not stifle a giggle born of incredulity. The stranger was not offended even though he had overheard her laughter. He then spoke seven words of hope into the dead dreams of these old friends of God. “Is anything too hard for the Lord?” Abraham’s heart leaped with fresh faith, and Romans 4:20-21 said he did not waver in unbelief, but was convinced that what God had promised, he was also able to perform. Hebrews 11:11 said Sarah judged him faithful who had promised.

The test of truth is time, and at the appointed time of life, Sarah did give birth to her first and only child. The couple named this son Isaac, which means “laughter,” because they and everyone around them could not help but laugh at this impossibility. Speaking almost the same word to Mary and Sarah, at the opposite ends of life, God illustrated his ability to break through the borders of human ability and surprise people with his grace.

As we begin 2020, let us take God’s hand by faith and walk where we could never go alone, even beyond our limitations, abilities and past experiences. Faith says, “God is able to do something that has never been done before in all of history.” Just because it has not happened does not mean it never will.

At the dawn of this new year, God may be calling us to walk in the sandals of Sarah and Mary, and discover that “with God nothing will be impossible.”

This story was originally published January 3, 2020 at 5:04 PM.