Is Anything Too Hard for God?
Scripture Reading — Genesis 18:1-15
"Is anything too hard for the LORD? ... Sarah will have a son." Genesis 18:14
Why did it take so long? Why didn't God give Abraham and Sarah a child as soon as he promised it?
The ways of God are above our ways. God's thoughts are beyond our thoughts. God's timing is not our timing. We might even agree that God's sense of humor is not the same as ours.
Instead of striking down Sarah for her laughter, God smiled and said, in effect, "You'll see." Before this visit from the Lord, Sarah had relied on a scheme of her own for having children. But now she knew that it would only be because of God that she would ever have a child. As you might have noticed yesterday, Abraham had also laughed earlier when God had renamed Sarah and repeated his promise to give her and Abraham a son (Genesis 17:17).
Why did it take so long? Lessons had to be learned. One lesson that Abraham and Sarah learned was that the Lord's ways are often far different from ours. We need to learn this too. God was willing to have his Son go to the cross--for us. God was willing to face--and overcome--death. God was willing to combine his justice and his love--for us. God was willing to be patient in molding and shaping us for himself.
Is anything too hard for God? No! Whatever you face today, remember the lesson of God--for us.
Dear Jesus, thank you for taking the hard way for us. Thank you for your sacrifice on the cross and your love for us. Thank you for the gift of life, given to us. In your name, Amen.
About the author — Julius T. Medenblik
Rev. Jul Medenblik is a former attorney who was called to pastoral ministry and became the founding pastor of a church in New Lenox, Illinois. He is currently serving as president of Calvin Theological Seminary, Grand Rapids, Michigan. Jul and his wife, Jackie, are blessed with a son, Joshua, and a daughter, Julianne.
Start your day with quick daily devotions.
See God's love, power, presence, and purpose in your life every day!