All Things Possible: Trusting God in the Deep End a devotional for Athletes

Matthew 19:26 (ESV) "But Jesus looked at them and said, 'With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.'"

Every athlete knows the feeling of standing on the starting block facing what seems impossible. The time on the board looks unreachable. The competitor in the next lane just dropped a personal best. Your body is tired from yesterday’s training. In that moment, human effort alone feels completely inadequate. We train, sacrifice, and push—but some barriers seem made of concrete.

The disciples felt something similar in Matthew 19. A wealthy, moral young man walked away from Jesus sad because he couldn’t let go of his possessions. The disciples asked, “Who then can be saved?” If this impressive guy couldn’t make it into God’s kingdom, what hope did anyone have? Jesus answered: “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

Salvation, real peace, and lasting identity are not earned in the weight room, the pool, or the classroom. No amount of discipline or talent can bridge the gap between us and a holy God.

John’s Story

John was a junior swimmer on a university team, a 200-meter freestyle specialist with real potential and a full scholarship. But he was quietly drowning under pressure. His father, a former Division I athlete, had made it clear that “average” was unacceptable. John trained harder than anyone—early lifts, strict nutrition, extra technique work. Yet the more he pushed, the worse his anxiety became before every race.

Mid-season his shoulder flared up. His times dropped. At the biggest dual meet, he false-started and finished last in his heat. That night he sat alone on the pool deck, staring at the black line, wondering if it was worth it.

His teammate Marcus found him there. Marcus listened, then read Matthew 19:26. “John, I used to think if I worked hard enough I’d finally feel okay. But no time on the clock can do what only God can do. Saving yourself—from anxiety, sin, or emptiness—is impossible with us. But with God? All things are possible. Peace. Purpose. A new identity that doesn’t sink when your times do.”

Something broke open. John started attending FCA. He began reading Scripture before practice and praying before races: “Lord, this is impossible for me to control, but with You I can swim free.” He stopped swimming to prove himself and started swimming as worship.

The shift didn’t happen overnight, but joy returned. His shoulder responded to smarter training because he was no longer panicking. In his senior year, John qualified for conference championships and helped win a relay title. After the final race, younger swimmers asked what changed. John told them about Matthew 19:26 and the teammate who wouldn’t let him keep drowning alone.

John still faces setbacks, but he no longer faces them alone. He knows what feels impossible in the pool and in life becomes possible when we depend on the God who raises the dead.

Application for Athletes

You know the impossible moments—the injury threatening your season, the performance slump, the pressure to perform while staying faithful in a locker room that doesn’t understand, or the deeper ache no medal can touch.

This verse doesn’t promise God will make you win every race. It promises something better: the things that matter most—salvation, peace, strength in weakness, and living for something bigger—are possible because of who God is, not because of how fast you swim.

Train hard. Compete with excellence. But hold your dreams loosely. Surrender the impossible to the One who specializes in it. Watch what He does with a heart that trusts Him—stroke by stroke.

Reflection Questions

1. What “impossible” are you facing in your sport or life that you’ve been trying to handle in your own strength?

2. How would your training and competing change if you truly believed that with God all things are possible—including peace and leading others to Jesus?

3. Who on your team needs to hear this truth this week?

Closing Prayer

Father, thank You that nothing is too hard for You. What feels impossible in my sport and life is possible with You. Forgive me for trusting my own effort to find peace or identity. Help me to train and compete with excellence while holding outcomes loosely. Give me courage to surrender my pressure and dreams to You. Use me to point my teammates to Jesus, who makes the impossible possible. In His name, Amen.