Nothing will be impossible with God.
The angel's word to Mary — and why this promise belongs to every believer.
The episode in a glance.
- 01Spoken to a teenage girl about a virgin birth.
- 02'With God' is the key phrase — not 'with enough effort.'
- 03The context is the fulfillment of ancient prophecy.
- 04Nothing means nothing — no obstacle, no opposition, no impossibility.
Read along.
Luke 1:37 is the angel Gabriel's closing word to Mary: 'For nothing will be impossible with God.'
Mary has just been told she will conceive as a virgin. Her natural response is confusion: 'How will this be, since I am a virgin?' The angel explains the Holy Spirit will overshadow her. And then he adds this line.
'Nothing will be impossible with God.' It's not 'nothing is too hard if you try hard enough.' It's not 'nothing is impossible if you believe strongly enough.' It's 'with God.' The power is entirely his.
Gabriel anchors this in prophecy. He reminds Mary that her relative Elizabeth, barren and old, is also pregnant. God has done the impossible before. He'll do it again.
This promise extends beyond Mary's situation. It's for every believer facing something that looks impossible. The God who spoke the universe into existence, who raised Jesus from the dead, is the God who is with you. And with him, nothing is impossible.