Obedience in the Face of Impossibility

“We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations.” – Charles R. Swindoll

My friend, Jennie, texted me a couple weeks ago about the story of Lazarus and what kind of faith it took for the men who obeyed Jesus to roll the stone away from a 4-days-dead-man’s grave! Later in the week, I was at my parent’s church, and the pastor shared about the extreme faith it took for the servants at the wedding who took the cup of water to the master of ceremonies just because Jesus told them to do it. Filling the huge water vats? No problem. Taking water to a man, your boss, who is expecting wine? Quite challenging.

Two situations. Same faith required. This faith did not make sense. This faith faced consequences. For the men at Lazarus’ grave, they faced ridicule, shame, probably being impure, and the stink of that open grave. For the servants at the wedding, they faced a tongue-lashing, maybe even a beating; plus, they faced the shame of showing up empty handed in a clinch moment of the celebration where expectations were high.

Instead, because these people were obedient despite their concerns, despite their reputations, and despite what appeared to be impossible, they became key players in divine miracle stories that have been told through the ages. They were instruments of God’s transforming power to make things that are not to becomes things that are. Their obedience to an impossible request mattered then; it matters now.

I wonder how their lives changed following these events. Was anything now possible?  Was life viewed in vivid techno-color? Did they tell their story to anyone who would listen? It really was “their” story because since they obeyed against the odds they were part of a miracle.

Question:

What would make me obey when obedience seems ridiculous and impossible?