New Church Life November/December 2017 | Page 20

new church life: november/december 2017 Yet, with God nothing will be impossible. This is a vital message. It and all the wondrous events of Christmas inspire confidence in us. They lift us up so that in spite of problems, in spite of hellish situations, we can be reminded that the Lord is near and that He can do what we cannot. While we can feel less than successful or perhaps even defeated, the Lord was born into the world in such a miraculous way to change our thinking, to help us realize that “with God nothing will be impossible.” Such confidence, or trust, in the Lord’s care gives us strength, gives us hope. For we cannot effectively marshal our forces against pessimism and hellish gloom if we do not believe that the Lord