How big of an obstacle are you facing in your Christian walk? Is there something that you know the word of God calls you to do or to be that you think is just too much? What part of your following the Savior is too hard?
In Genesis 18, God comes to speak with Abraham and Sarah. They are 99 and 89 respectively, and they have had no children. The Lord promises that, within the next year, when they are 100 and 90, God will give them a son. Sarah, of course, laughs at the concept. But God is not amused.
Genesis 18:13-14 – 13 The Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?’ 14 Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son.”
The question that God asks is super-significant. Is anything too hard for God? Of course, with a cup of coffee in my hand and the Bible open before me on a Monday morning, the answer is easy. Of course nothing is too hard for God.
But the real question is not for in my quiet time. It is for my daily life. It is for your daily life. Is anything too hard for God? Is there a call the Lord has given you that is too hard? Is there a command that the Lord has put in his word that is beyond his ability to help us fulfill? Is there a promise of the Lord in his word that he is not strong enough or faithful enough to fulfill? And of course the answer is no. Nothing is too hard for God.
So, what are you facing that you think is too hard? Has God called you to confess a sin that you do not want to confess? Has God called you to put away a sin from your life you think is too difficult? Are you facing a fear or a depression that you think cannot be overcome? Are you battling to come out of a sorrow or grief that feels bottomless? Nothing is too hard for God.
The Lord wants his followers to understand that, if we are his, there is no command of his that we cannot follow. He wants us to grasp that, if something is in his will, it can be done. He does not fail. The Lord does not promise us easy lives, but he shows us in the word time and time again that he is strong and faithful. He shows us that he can do in us what we could never do in our own strength. He reminds us that nothing is too hard, nothing is impossible for the Lord.
Let this give you hope. Let it give you confidence. Let it call you to repent of faithlessness and doubt. Let it move you to cry out to the Lord for the strength and courage to obey him in all things.
Pastor Travis Peterson 