IS ANYTHING TOO HARD FOR THE LORD?

You probably remember the story in Genesis in which God appeared to Abraham. The patriarch was sitting at the door of his tent during the heat of the day when suddenly three men appeared before him, standing under a tree. Abraham went out to meet the men, prepared a nice meal, and then visited with them.

During their conversation, the Lord asked Abraham where his wife, Sarah, was. Then God said something incredible: “Lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son” (Genesis 18:10).

At the time, Sarah was inside the tent, listening to their conversation and when she heard this, she laughed at the idea. “Impossible,” she thought. She was way beyond the age of childbearing, and Abraham was too old to sire a child.
Yet when God heard Sarah's laughter, He said, “Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old? Is anything too hard for the Lord?” (18:13-14).

I’m writing this message today because God asks the same question of His children in these present times: Is anything too hard for the Lord? Each of us has to face our own difficult situations in life. And in the midst of them God asks, “Do you think your problem is too hard for Me to fix? Or do you believe I can work it out for you, even though you think it’s impossible?”

Jesus tells us, “The things which are impossible with men are possible with God” (Luke 18:27). Do you believe this word from the Lord? Do you accept that He can perform the impossible in your marriage, in your family, on your job, for your future?

We are quick to counsel others that He can. When we see our loved ones enduring difficult times, we tell them, “Hold on and look up. Don’t stop trusting the Lord. He’s the God of the impossible!”

Yet, I wonder if we believe these truths for ourselves. Sarah, who doubted the Lord, probably would have offered this very counsel to her friends. Imagine that she heard about a godly couple in a similar situation—faithful people who wanted a baby but were too old to bear one. The couple believed God had promised them a child, but now they were growing older. And little by little, they were losing confidence in their dream.

If you asked Sarah what she would say to them, she probably would answer, “Tell them to hold on. They can’t give up hope for their dream. They serve a God who does the impossible and He will fix it for them.”

Yet Sarah had a hard time believing this for herself. And many Christians today are like that. We boldly proclaim God’s power to others, but we don’t believe His Word for ourselves.