Answer
In Luke 1:26–38, the angel Gabriel visits teenage Mary and foretells the birth of Jesus, Israel’s long-awaited Savior and Son of God. The angel reassures the young virgin, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus” (verses 30–31, ESV). Mary, understandably confused, asks the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” (verse 34, ESV). Gabriel answers, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For nothing will be impossible with God” (verses 35–37, ESV).
God’s messenger announced two human impossibilities—divine miracles—that God was performing: Mary, a virgin, would conceive a child through the power of the Holy Spirit and bring the Son of God into the world. And Elizabeth, Mary’s elderly, barren cousin, was already miraculously in her sixth month of pregnancy with a son who would grow up to be John the Baptist. When Mary wonders, “How can this happen?” The angel redirects Mary’s focus from natural human prospects to God’s supernatural, wonder-working power. One explanation remains: “With God, nothing will be impossible!”
The Lord encouraged the faith of other saints with similar words. When Isaac’s birth was promised to Abraham and Sarah, God said, “Is anything too hard for the Lord? I will return about this time next year, and Sarah will have a son” (Genesis 18:14, NLT). Many Bible figures have declared that nothing will be impossible with God (see Job 42:2; Jeremiah 32:17). Jesus Himself testified, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26; see also Mark 14:36).
The Greek phrase ouk pan rhema, translated as “nothing” in Luke 1:37, expresses the idea of “no word or promise” in the original language. Thus, we can understand the saying, for nothing will be impossible with God, to mean “no word or promise of God will be impossible.” The New International Version renders Luke 1:37, “For no word from God will ever fail.” “For the word of God will never fail,” states the New Living Translation. The American Standard Version says, “For no word from God shall be void of power.” Mary believes and humbly embraces God’s plan, as improbable as these pregnancies sound, for she responds, “I am the Lord’s servant. . . . May your word to me be fulfilled” (Luke 1:38).
If God declares it, He will do it. He fulfills His purposes through the power of His word: “For when he spoke, the world began! It appeared at his command” (Psalm 33:9, NLT; see also Psalm 148:5). Our God created everything from nothing. He spoke, and life came into being (2 Peter 3:5). He sustains all things by His powerful word (Hebrews 1:3). God’s word always accomplishes what He desires and the purpose for which He sends it out (Isaiah 55:11).
The angel reminded Mary that her Savior, Redeemer, and Lord is the God of the impossible. The miracle He accomplished through Sarah, He was doing again through Elizabeth. And He would perform an even greater miracle through Mary.
As God worked in Mary’s life, He continues to work in ours today. He often chooses to do the unlikely and the humanly impossible to remind us that His purposes and power are not restricted. We must live each day with unwavering faith, knowing and believing that nothing—not one word or promise of God—will be impossible.
