Whether you’ve been a believer for years or you’re just beginning to explore faith, you’ve probably heard this phrase: Nothing is impossible with God. It’s one of those super-popular, slap-it-on-a-coffee-mug Bible verses that sounds encouraging. But what does it really mean?
Just about every Christian has faced something that feels impossible to overcome. Things like medical diagnoses, broken relationships, financial challenges, chronic health problems, or lingering grief.
Maybe you’ve prayed for these things and wondered why God didn’t make everything better. After all, nothing is impossible for Him, right?
Let’s explore the context of this Bible verse so we can gain some clarity about God’s power and how we can find strength and hope in Him.
That’s Definitely Impossible
The gospels provide a couple of versions of the phrase “nothing is impossible for God.” One is found in Luke 1:37 when an angel appeared to Mary, a young Jewish woman from Nazareth. The angel brought her a message that seemed completely impossible: She would bear a child, the Son of God, despite being a virgin. Mary—naturally—questioned how this could happen, but the angel reminded her of God’s power, saying:
“For nothing will be impossible with God.” Luke 1:37 ESV
This wasn’t just an encouragement for Mary. It was a reminder of how God had already worked in miraculous ways. The angel pointed to Elizabeth, a relative of Mary’s who was “too old” to have a child. But Elizabeth was expecting, too. And if we go even further back into the biblical story, we can find Sarah, Mary’s ancestor, whom God blessed with a child in seemingly impossible circumstances.
What Does This Mean for Us?
Mary asking how this could happen is a simple, rational question. If Mary lived today, she may have asked the question like this: “Uh … that’s definitely impossible. What you’re saying doesn’t line up with biology, medicine, or anything else happening in the natural world, so how can it be true?”
The angel’s response, then, is an invitation for her to trust. Not to ignore reason, science, medicine, or the natural world, but also to acknowledge that God can work outside the parameters of the universe.
The angel isn’t saying, “Ask for any impossible thing and God will make it happen.” He’s not the genie from the movie Aladdin, here to do our bidding. Instead, the angel is saying that when God’s plan for the universe requires a reality-bending miraculous event, God can make it happen.
What seems impossible about God’s plan in your life? Does it seem impossible for God to make all things new? To restore relationships? To make peace among long-time enemies? Mary’s story is an invitation to trust. God’s done the impossible in the past, and He has the power to do it again.
With God, All Things Are Possible
At another point in the gospels, Jesus says,
… “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:26 NIV
Jesus speaks these words in response to a conversation about salvation, but let’s back up.
Earlier in the passage, a wealthy young man approaches Jesus and wants to know how to get eternal life. Jesus tells him to keep God’s commands. The young man says that he has followed all of God’s commands perfectly.
Jesus responds to the young man’s improbable statements by giving him a next step: “... sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me” (Matthew 19:21 NIV).
This isn’t what the young man has in mind, and he quickly walks away. Why? Scripture says it’s because he is very rich.
What Makes Someone Blessed?
Jesus then turns to His disciples and says this famous verse:
Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” Matthew 19:23-24 NIV
The disciples are shocked by Jesus’ words. But why?
Both in Jesus’ day and today, people can equate material blessings with God’s blessing. People can assume that those with wealth and influence are favored by God, while people with fewer resources and less worldly status are less blessed by God.
Jesus flips this mindset on its head by saying excess resources can be a hindrance to entering God’s kingdom. But He doesn’t stop there. In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus says, “Blessed are you who are poor,” confronting the perspective that wealth is a surefire sign of God’s favor.
After hearing these words, the disciples are probably thinking, “If the extra-blessed and favored (wealthiest) people have a hard time entering God’s kingdom, what chance does anyone else have?” And so they ask Jesus, “Who then can be saved?”
Jesus’ response? “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
Just like the angel’s response to Mary, this statement from Jesus comes in response to a question. Mary questions a miracle. The disciples question God’s character and what it means to be blessed.
The disciples believed that following God’s rules led to blessing, and being blessed by God meant gaining material possessions. So, in their minds, the rich young man is their superior— not just financially, but spiritually too. Jesus challenges their assumptions. He knows that hard work and religious rule-keeping don’t save you and that wealth isn’t the main sign of God’s blessing.
Instead, Jesus wants to make it clear that it’s impossible to buy, work, serve, or rule-follow your way into eternal life. That’s because only God has the power to save.
Read more on what it means to be blessed.
What Does This Mean for Us?
It’s easy to let our circumstances define our view of God. Maybe you’re struggling today and wonder if your suffering is evidence of God’s anger, disappointment, or distance. It’s natural to feel that way, but it’s not reality. God draws close to us when we’re in pain, even when we can’t feel His presence.
Don’t let external circumstances or internal emotions define your view of God’s feelings for you.
So don’t let external circumstances or internal emotions define your view of God’s feelings for you. Instead, trust His consistent care in every situation.
This passage also shows us to trust God’s power over our performance. In Jesus’ day, and perhaps even more so today, we tend to judge people based on their performance, wealth, and reputation. This can be wise in certain situations, but not when we’re trying to define our worth before God.
No pastor is holy enough to earn their salvation and no billionaire is wealthy enough to buy eternal life. Instead, greatness is found in service, humility, and trust in God’s limitless grace.
Can I Do Impossible Things?
The passages we’ve covered in this article are about God’s ability to do impossible things. But His power lives in His followers, so we have the ability to do impossible things, too. Of course, there are some caveats. The Bible doesn’t endorse a “name it and claim it” theology. Praying the right words doesn’t mean you’ll get tons of money, instant healing, and a private jet.
Instead, God’s power works through us to accomplish His will. When we align our actions with His plan through loving God and loving others, we can experience His strength in ways that can defy our expectations. And sometimes, the most miraculous thing He can do is give us peace, endurance, and the ability to love in impossible situations.
So will God give us all of our big wants just because He loves us? No, but at the same time, we shouldn’t cynically expect God not to do big things—Scripture makes this clear.
Impossible Stories in the Bible
The Bible is full of moments when God did the impossible. When the Hebrews stood before the Red Sea with Pharaoh’s army behind them, it seemed like there was no way out. But God, through Moses, parted the waters and made a way (Exodus 14:21-22).
When Jesus looked at the hungry crowds, He didn’t see an impossible situation. Instead, He multiplied five loaves and two fish to feed thousands (Matthew 14:13-21).
When the disciples were terrified in a storm, Jesus calmed the wind and waves with a word (Mark 4:35-39).
Over and over again, God’s Word shows that what seems impossible to us is nothing compared to His power.
Why This Truth Still Matters Today
Maybe you’re facing something today that feels impossible. Maybe it’s a financial struggle, a broken relationship, a health battle, or a deep longing that hasn’t been fulfilled. The same heavenly Father who worked miracles in the past is still at work today.
The book of Hebrews reminds us of two unchangeable things: God’s nature and His promises.
God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged. Hebrews 6:18 NIV
God does not grow tired or weary. He does not fail. He does not forget His people. Even when we don’t understand His timing, we can pray, trust, and believe that He is working all things for His glory and our good.
Living in the Confidence of God’s Power
Believing that nothing is impossible with God doesn’t mean life will always go the way we want. But it does mean we can live with confidence, knowing that the Holy Spirit is with us, guiding and strengthening us through every challenge.
So when doubt creeps in, when fear tries to take hold, when the situation seems too far gone—remind yourself of God’s truth. Hold on to His promises. Be courageous. And trust that the God who parted the seas, fed the multitudes, and raised Jesus from the dead is the same God who works in your life today.