Possibility

“He who is near to God is far from impossibility.” 

—Thomas a Kempis

If we were standing on the Ha’penny Bridge at dusk, we’d feel it before we could hear it—the quiet, steady flow of the river below, gently carrying the day away.

Each historic bridge in Dublin offers its own unique charm, including the Ha’penny, a pedestrian bridge.  And while it’s well known that Dublin is a vibrant “city of music,” there is also another rhythm there.  It’s the kind you might miss entirely, like the soft whistle of a distant train, unless you slow down to listen.  For beneath the lively culture is the River Liffey, flowing through the heart of the city.

If you’re familiar with Dublin, you know this. But what you might not know is the hidden treasure waiting about thirty miles south in the Wicklow Mountains. Nestled within the mountains is a natural landmark, the famous, heart-shaped lake, Lough Ouler.  It’s located at the foot of Tonelagee Mountain, the third-highest peak in the Wicklow Mountains. Carved long ago by glaciers into a perfect corrie, the lake is lovely in a way that feels otherworldly. But there’s a catch.

If we were to stand right at the water’s edge, boots in the mud, it’s nearly impossible to see the shape of the heart. We must climb higher.

So put on your hiking boots… we’re climbing today. Not necessarily the whole mountain (although that would be fun), but we’re going far enough to see what’s hidden when we’re too close.

Only From Above

Irish poet Seamus Heaney once wrote, “To know Ireland is to know poetry written in the land.”  - Seamus Heaney, Irish Poet

From lush green hills to quiet sea coves, I agree. But the poetry of Lough Ouler can’t reveal itself when we’re standing beside it.  Up close, we can only see an ordinary lake, not the iconic heart shape for which it’s known.

Only from above does its true form come into view.

And so it is with God.

With God, blurred lines come into focus, nagging questions lose their grip, and monumental problems can be surrendered to His will.

Psalm 113:4–6 lifts our thoughts higher:

The Lord is exalted over all the nations, His glory above the heavens. Who is like the Lord our God, the One who sits enthroned on high, who stoops down to look on the heavens and the earth?

Our God is sovereign and supreme in ways beyond our comprehension. In this moment alone, His vastness keeps our hearts beating, the sun shining, and the universe expanding.  Top that with a trillion other miracles. 

God is transcendent, above all in majesty.  But also immanent, with the ability and the desire to move into the most intimate parts of our lives. He sees the full truth and depth that we cannot. So, we trust Him.

Now let me ask, what are you standing too close to see?

Maybe it’s the tangled web of unmet desires.  Or the relentless need to prove yourself. Perhaps it’s the ongoing pain of grief or an illness.  Or the façade of religion that overshadows a real relationship with Jesus.

From pride, to fears, to insecure self-talk, we all have things. But no matter what it is, it grows lighter with God’s truth in Scripture.

Psalm 103:14 reminds us, For He knows how we are formed,He remembers that we are dust.

Our limits are part of God’s perfectly designed order. We can rest in that.

A.W. Tozer once said, “A low view of God is the cause of a hundred lesser evils. A high view of God is the solution to ten thousand temporal problems.”

A Surrendered Heart

There’s no shortage in Scripture of those who first felt defeated before the Lord led them to victory.

We find a great illustration of this in 1 Samuel. For years, Hannah carried a desperate longing for a child. To add to her pain, she lived in a world where motherhood defined a woman’s worth. She was hurt and humiliated. Time passed, but the same deep longing remained. She was unable to conceive, and her story felt unfair.

But the view from above was different. God knew her heart, and He knew of every tear that fell. As Hannah longed for a child to hold, God was preparing a future that she could not yet imagine. The son that she’d waited for, Samuel, would become a prophet, a priest, a judge, and a light guiding Israel out of spiritual darkness. God had never once forgotten her. He was working within a timeline that is not bound by time.

Hannah was too close to her pain to know the outcome, yet close enough to God to surrender it.

Deeply hurt, Hannah prayed to the LORD and wept with many tears. Making a vow, she pleaded, “LORD of Armies, if you will take notice of your servant’s affliction, remember and not forget me, and give your servant a son, I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life, and his hair will never be cut.” (1 Samuel 1:10–11)

Roughly a thousand years later, a young girl would stand and question what seemed impossible. Mary, the mother of our Savior, felt scared and unprepared. Yet she was told she would carry the Savior of the world. Her life was not aligned with human logic.

With honesty she asked,“How can this be?” (Luke 1:34)

God answered her question not with explanation—but with His promise, His power, and His presence. So, through seemingly impossible circumstances, the birth of Jesus, you and I have salvation.  The ultimate story of God’s plan, born out of His divine love, and a surrendered heart.

Three Central Points

We’ve all been there, standing in the mud, feeling as if it’s impossible. But God is always working, knowing it is unfinished until it is good.

To capture the hidden truth within this lesson, let’s hold on to the beauty of the heart-shaped lake (God’s perspective) as we travel back to the Ha’penny Bridge. 

 Drawing three central points to help us define possibility.

First, we remember that Jesus is the only One with a “perfect heart.”  And He is the Bridge—the only way to God our Father: the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6).

Second, just as all of Dublin is shaped and softened by water.  As we grow into the likeness of Christ, we too are being shaped and softened by the Holy Spirit.

Third, as the River Liffey flows through the heart of Dublin, if we are to truly walk through life with God, we must allow the living truth of His Word to flow through the heart of all that we do.

It is then that we begin to see through the eyes of God. Our faith in His abundant and relentless love lifts us higher—to the view that changes everything. And as we seek to develop a heart like His, we begin to understand this sacred truth: all things truly are possible with God.

3-2-1

3 Scripture Verses, 2 Quotes,

and 1 Question to Consider

3 Scripture Verses:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5–6

Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.  I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.’  Psalm 91:1–2

Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.’  Mark 10:27

2 Quotes:

“Faith does not eliminate questions. But faith knows where to take them.” - Elisabeth Elliot

“You are not alone. You don’t have to earn God’s love. You don’t have to run anymore.” - Suzanne Eller, The Mended Heart

1 Question to Consider:

What are you standing too close to right now that God may be inviting you to see from His higher perspective of truth, trust, and surrender?