One of the Bible readings I was directed to this morning was the annunciation to Mary as recorded by Luke.  The study guide rightly noted that if we ask ourselves the 'how' question we get nowhere, what we need to ask is the 'why' question... How Mary became pregnant fades into insignificance compared with why... if God could utter a word and creation began (or a big bang occured or whatever it was) then a woman conceiving a child asexually is probably not such a big deal. We need the language of 'mystery' to make any sense whatsoever of this account, and a God who would operate in such a ridiculous fashion.

However, what struck me this morning, wasn't Mary's story per se, but the words of the angel, and the double negative (at least in Greek) that "will not be impossible with God [every word]".  Annoyingly the comentaries I have all ignore the 'every word' a quick check suggests only the NIV retains it in translation - 'no word from God will ever fail' (not a very close translation imo). 

"Not impossible" - a phrase that we use when we mean "I can't rule it out, but it's really unlikely..."

This morning I heard it - and maybe God spoke it to me - differently, as "that which seems impossible is indeed possible... every word of it."

I heard it very much as a word of encouragement, speaking into some complicated matters I have been pondering, almost as the angel spoke to Mary ... "stop asking how this will work out, it is not impossible with God."

Lord, you sometimes speak in things that make me go 'hmmm...'