The Speech That Tore Down a Wall

On June 12, 1987 President Ronald Reagan stood before the Berlin Wall at the Brandenburg Gate in West Berlin and delivered one of the most memorable speeches of the Cold War.  
 
The Berlin Wall had been erected in 1961 by East Germany and had become a symbol of division, oppression and the lack of freedom behind the Iron Curtain.  For nearly 3 decades, families were separated, freedoms were restricted and countless people risked their lives attempting to escape the West.  
 
Speaking directly to Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, Reagan issued a challenge that would echo around the world:  

“Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”
 
Many viewed the statement as merely symbolic.  Yet just over two years later on November 9, 1989, the Berlin Wall began to come down.  Before long, Germany was reunited and one of history’s most visible barriers had fallen.  
 
History reminds us that walls built by fear, control and division may stand for a season, but they do not stand forever.  What seems impossible today can become tomorrow’s breakthrough.  
 
“For nothing will be impossible with God.”  Luke 1:37