7 Ways that God Can Do the Impossible in Your House
July 28, 2020
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God will always make a way when it seems as though there is no way. In the midst of so much uncertainty and fear in 2020, it’s easy to believe that things will never change for the better. It can seem impossible for life to go back to “normal”—or even to adjust to a new normal. For some, the healing of a loved one seems impossible. For others, a job or financial situation appears hopeless. It may seem as though reconciliation and peace in a relationship, or in society, will never ever happen. Many of us are wondering if this virus will ever go away and if we will be sheltered at home forever.
But I want to encourage you with the hope we find in the Scriptures, because nothing is impossible for God. In fact, throughout the New Testament, we see that despite all odds, God makes a way. And what is even more reassuring—especially in these times of quarantine—is that Lord moves and often does His best work in homes.
In a house, the Church was birthed. In Acts 2:2, believers in Christ gathered together when all of a sudden, the sound of a rushing wind “came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.” This is when Christians first received the Holy Spirit and devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching. They were emboldened to spread the Gospel, share generously with others, and praise God. The Church of Jesus Christ started in a house.
In a house, God can redirect your life. We learn in Acts 9:10-11 that the Lord appeared to a disciple named Ananias and told him to go to a man named Saul of Tarsus and heal his blindness. This is the same Saul who persecuted Christians before Jesus appeared to him on the road to Damascus. Ananias went to the house where Saul was staying, laid hands on him, and Paul’s sight was restored. Paul then went on to preach the Gospel fearlessly and wrote nearly half of the New Testament.
In a house, the Holy Spirit can fall. Acts 10:44 details the account of when Peter was preaching the Gospel within a large gathering of people in a house, and “the Holy Spirit came upon all who heard the message.” This happened in an average home likes your and mine!
In a house, racial barriers can be destroyed. This same event also featured an important moment in Church history because the Holy Spirit had been poured out not only on the Jews, but also Gentiles. Astonished, Peter instructed that they become baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Jesus breaks down racial barriers and calls us all into one family—God’s family.
In a house, prayers are answered. King Herod had Peter arrested and thrown into prison for preaching the Gospel, “but the church was earnestly praying to God for him” (Acts 12:5). Miraculously, an angel of the Lord set Peter free the night before his trial, and Peter immediately “went to the house of Mary, the mother of John, where many people had gathered and were praying” (v.12-15). Can you imagine the joy that filled that house when their prayers for their brother Peter had been answered?
In a house God will make a way. This same account details how a servant named Rhoda recognized Peter’s voice when he arrived at the house, but she was so overjoyed that she forgot to open the door for him. She ran back to everyone and exclaimed, “Peter is at the door!” But they replied, “You’re out of your mind.” When she kept insisting that it was so, they said, “It must be his angel.” The people of the house thought it was absolutely impossible for Peter to be there, but we know from Mark 10:27 that all things are possible with God!
In a house, your family can be saved. Lastly, in Acts 16:30-34, a violent earthquake freed Paul and Silas from prison. Seeing this miracle and their faith, their jailer asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” Then they shared the Word of God with the jailer and his family, and they were baptized right away.
God’s church began in a house, and He still redirects people’s lives inside houses all over the world. God’s Spirit moves and does the impossible in houses. God answers prayers inside homes everywhere, and He brings salvation to homes even in the midst of trouble and uncertain times. God makes a way!
Pastor Dudley Rutherford is the author of Compelled: The Irresistible Call to Share Your Faith (available everywhere books are sold online) and the senior pastor of Shepherd Church, which has three campuses in the Greater Los Angeles area. You can watch services online or connect with Dudley at www.LiftUpJesus.com and on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
