Is Anything Too Hard For The Lord?
BRD REFLECTIONS
Genesis 18 & 19; Psalm 14 (NIV)
(Charis Lim, Chairperson, Digital Wesley)
READ:
The following passage from Genesis 18:14 (NIV) stands out for me:
“Is anything too hard for the Lord? I will return to you at the appointed time next year, and Sarah will have a son.”
OBSERVE:
In Genesis 18, the Lord visited Abraham and gave him a promise that his wife Sarah will bear a son about the same time the next year. Eavesdropping on the conversation, Sarah’s immediate response was to laugh in disbelief. Given her lifelong barrenness, and the fact that she and her husband were both over 90 years old, she laughed to herself as she thought, ‘After I am worn out and my lord is old, will I now have this pleasure?’” (v 12). Gently chiding that reaction, the Lord asks a rhetorical question of Abraham and Sarah “Is anything too hard for the Lord?” (v 14). To remind them of His power, the Lord repeats His promise once more saying, “I will return to you at the appointed time next year, and Sarah will have a son.” God strongly reminds Sarah and Abraham to believe that He can do the impossible for them. For truly, He who has promised is faithful (Hebrews 10:23), and He is able to do all He says He will do.
APPLY:
In this Genesis 18 passage, I see a problem, I see a promise, and I see God’s power. Abraham and Sarah had a problem: they were simply too old to conceive a child. But God gave Abraham a promise that he would be the father of many nations (Gen 17:5). God, however, didn’t just give Abraham a promise. He reminded Abraham and Sarah of His power that nothing was too hard for Him. I’ve learnt that God will often use the problem we face to make us seek His power and remind us of the promise that nothing is impossible for Him: to remind us of the promise that no weapon formed against us will ever be able to prosper; to remind us of the promise that if God is for us, then who can be against us? The problem I face today needs to lead me to His power and remind me of the promise that I have in Jesus Christ.
DO:
It’s so easy to doubt God’s promises and power when problems seem impossible. But God questioned Sarah, “Is anything too hard for the Lord?” This question from God to Sarah is a question I should ask myself today. Are there instances in my life where, like Sarah, I am laughing at the impossible?
When I begin to doubt, I can ask myself:
- Is this day too hard for the Lord?
- Is this problem too difficult for the Lord?
- Is this decision too big for the Lord?
- Is this issue too far gone for the Lord?
Truly nothing is impossible with God. May I not laugh doubting the impossible, but may I laugh with joy because I am a witness of God’s power revealed.
PRAY:
Lord Jesus, I confess that like Sarah, I often laugh doubting the impossible; I doubt your power. But I declare this day that nothing is too hard for you. May the problem I face today lead me to your power and remind me of the promise that nothing is impossible for you. Help me not to laugh at the impossible. But help me to laugh with joy because I am a witness of God’s power revealed.
In Jesus’ name. Amen
