When 'Humanly Impossible' Meets Divine Promise

Brother, Sister, have you ever felt like you are standing at a crossroads where every path seems blocked? You’re working diligently—you’re studying, you’re praying, you’re serving, you’re doing the work—but the promise you’ve been holding onto, the one that feels like the bedrock of your faith, just… isn't manifesting? It feels distant, maybe even out of reach.

It can feel like the gap between where you are and where the Lord has promised you to be is wider than any canyon. Maybe it’s a temple recommend, maybe it’s a calling, maybe it’s simply the deep, quiet assurance of peace that you know the Savior loves you. When the timeline stretches out, and the natural evidence suggests failure, it’s easy to start looking for a 'human solution.'

We see this pattern play out so clearly in the Book of Abraham, in the story of Abraham and Sarah. Remember that narrative? God makes these magnificent covenants with Abraham—promises of a great nation, of blessings that will encompass all the world. But time moves, and the years pass. The promise of numerous descendants seems perpetually just beyond their grasp.

What do you think they did? They got discouraged. They started looking at the problem—the empty space where a child should be—and they thought, "We need a plan. We need a solution." And so, they, in their understandable exhaustion, began to try to manufacture the answer. They tried to solve the divine promise with human effort.

If you’ve ever felt that pull—that whisper telling you, "Just do X," or "If I just achieve Y, then Z will happen"—that's the spiritual echo of Abraham and Sarah. It's the temptation to take the reins of the covenant from the Lord’s hands.

The Divine Intervention

But here’s the beautiful, humbling truth we must anchor ourselves to: the Lord’s plan is never limited by our current circumstances, our age, or our perceived limitations. When it was humanly impossible, when they had exhausted their own ingenuity and resources, *that's* when the Lord stepped in. Sarah conceived, and Isaac was born. It wasn't by their plan; it was by the power of divine miracle.

My dear disciples, the principle here is profound: When we are at our weakest, when we have nothing left to offer but our faith, that is often when the Spirit is strongest. Don't let the *waiting* become a source of anxiety that forces you to act outside of the Spirit's direction. Keep the promise—the covenant—held gently in your heart, trusting that the One who made the promise is faithful to keep it.

This isn't just about biology or lineage; this is about discipleship. It’s about trusting the Lord’s timing when the path to becoming more Christlike, or the path to feeling the Spirit's comfort, seems utterly blocked.

We are called to be internet missionaries, disciples everywhere, all the time. And sometimes, the greatest missionary work we can do is simply to *wait*—to wait with expectant faith, keeping our focus on the covenant, not the calendar.

If this message resonated with you today, I encourage you to take a moment to deepen this principle. Have you been reading the Iron Rod authors? If you haven't already, I highly recommend looking into the chapters on covenant keeping. For those of us who are actively preparing for missions or are already in the field, this is a powerful reminder for our missionary discussions.

And for those who are ready to dive deeper into scripture-discipleship, I invite you to join a Book Club or Bible Study Group in HolyPlaces. It’s a wonderful, safe place to wrestle with these big questions together.

If you want to continue wrestling with tough doctrinal questions, remember that Davee is here. He’s ready to walk you through the hard questions an investigator might ask, helping you craft answers rooted in truth. Don't hesitate to utilize his AI Investigator role!

Let’s close with that beautiful prayer, remembering that nothing is too late, and nothing is too hard for our Heavenly Father.

Preach My Gospel Tip: As you read scripture this week, pause before you feel frustrated by a delay. Instead, whisper a quiet "Thank you, Father, for the promise," and then let the Spirit guide your next action, whatever it may be.