It’s rare that I read a book and am left struck by how honest, transparent and real the author is not only about their own struggles in life, but also about the struggle every single one of us faces as we walk by the grace of God empowered by the Holy Spirit in order to shine as bright lights for Jesus in a sin stricken world. This is precisely why reading Nothing Is Impossible Reflections on Weaknesses, Faith and Power by Rose Marie Miller will prove to be an exercise in learning to be honest and transparent about where they are in their Christian lives.
Rose writes not as an “expert” but rather as one who has walked grounded in God’s Word and the Gospel for many years. In other words, Rose writes as one whose “been there and done that” but doesn’t come across as a know it all but rather as a guide—one who gently, but firmly leads us closer to the everlasting springs of true joy found only in Jesus Christ. At the heart of Rose’s book is the statement, “Nothing is impossible with God” a phrase Rose heard but for a “long time didn’t seem true for me. For much of the time I kept God at a distance, building walls of self-protection and self-reliance. I said I was a Christian but my life said, “I can manage without God.” When crisses came, the walls went higher” (16).
In just a few short words Rose just described my teenager years; a time in my life where there was a lot of change and crisis as my parents got divorced, I got addicted to pornography and lived a double life based on performing good Christian deeds in the Church while being addicted to porn and being seriously broken by my parent’s divorce. Playing the appearances game and basing my life on my performance for God, I learned wasn’t what biblical Christianity was about. As I continue to grow in the Gospel today, I realize now that I was living a double life and playing the hypocrite by not truly enjoying the grace of God but giving the appearance I was. Thankfully now I am much more grounded in the Word of God and daily growing in my understanding of the Word and the Gospel of Christ. In my teenage years my “walls went higher” as Rose mentioned in the above quote even as my understanding of the Word continued to grow through reading the Bible, books and hearing sermons. Sadly though the disconnect between all of this lead to burning out for the first time which helped me to realize that God was not distant, and I needed to truly and humbly trust Him.
As God continued to work on me He broke down my barriers by exposing my self-reliance and self-righteousness. Rose mentions that, “When God began to unlock the garden of my heart, he invited me to join in his mission to make this broken world an inheritance for his son. His assignments haven’t been easy, but I love and trust my Gardener and I am filled with joy to partner with Him. He truly is the God of the impossible” (19). As we take what we may understand of God from what we read in His Word in addition to what we read in books and apply it to our lives; we begin to understand that to live a disconnected and disjointed Christianity is really no kind of Christianity at all, but rather a cheap substitute. As Rose mentioned “when God unlocks the garden of your heart He breaks down the walls of self-righteous and self-reliance in order to show His sufficient, splendor and majesty.” When He does this it is very painful, but also very necessary as He is the lover our souls truly need, and the very foundation of our lives. When we replace Him with idols that we bow down and worship above Him; He disciplines us to awaken our hearts to His everlasting and unchanging love. He does this to mature and nurture us in His grace for His glory.
What makes Nothing Impossible with God such an important book is Rose’s transparency but not the transparency about her story (which she has) but rather the way she is transparent. Many people focus on what they have done in their testimonies but rather than doing this Rose boasts in the Cross while emphasizing that Jesus is the source of her joy and her true hearts delight and treasure. I recommend Nothing Impossible with God to know what the fragrance of a lifetime spent saturated by study of the Word and drinking from the well of the Gospel. This book will minister greatly to the broken and those who struggle with the idea that God is far from them in the midst of their struggles. It is for this reason I sincerely pray that the Lord Jesus uses this book to minister to the broken and open the eyes of the blind to the beauty, and splendor of our great God and King Jesus Christ.
Title: Nothing Is Impossible with God: Reflections on Weakness, Faith, and Power
Author: Rose Marie Miller
Publisher: New Growth Press (2012)
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the New Growth Press book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Dave Jenkins is happily married to his wife, Sarah. He is a writer, editor, and speaker living in beautiful Southern Oregon. Dave is a lover of Christ, His people, the Church, and sound theology. He serves as the Executive Director of Servants of Grace Ministries, the Executive Editor of Theology for Life Magazine, the Host and Producer of Equipping You in Grace Podcast, and is a contributor to and producer of Contending for the Word. He is the author of The Word Explored: The Problem of Biblical Illiteracy and What To Do About It (House to House, 2021), The Word Matters: Defending Biblical Authority Against the Spirit of the Age (G3 Press, 2022), and Contentment: The Journey of a Lifetime (Theology for Life, 2024). You can find him on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube, or read his newsletter. Dave loves to spend time with his wife, going to movies, eating at a nice restaurant, or going out for a round of golf with a good friend. He is also a voracious reader, in particular of Reformed theology, and the Puritans. You will often find him when he’s not busy with ministry reading a pile of the latest books from a wide variety of Christian publishers. Dave received his M.A.R. and M.Div through Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary.
