SOUNDING
OUT:
Is Anything Too Hard For The Lord?
God promised Abraham and
Sarah a son through whose offspring the world would be
blessed. However, they had some problems seeing the promise
come to pass in their lives. It was about 25 years later
that an angel came and told Abraham that the promise was
now within about nine months of fulfillment (Genesis 18:10).
By this time they were both well stricken in age, and
Sarah laughed when she heard the statement. She laughed
thinking that they were just too old for it to happen.
The Lord then spoke to Abraham and confronted her thinking
with the question, Is any thing too hard for the Lord?
(Genesis 18:14)
When God delivered His people from the bondage
in Egypt, He provided manna, bread from heaven for them.
However, they soon became discontent and grumbled because
they got tired of the miraculous manna and wanted meat
to eat. Well, God promised to give them meat for an entire
month and told Moses to deliver the message (Numbers 11:18-20).
Although Moses heard the word of promise, his unbelief
stopped him in his tracks. Moses could not see how God
could possibly do as He said. His response to God was:
Numbers 11:21,22:
The people, among whom I am, are six hundred thousand
footmen; and thou hast said, I will give them flesh,
that they may eat a whole month.
22 Shall the flocks and
the herds be slain for them, to suffice them? or shall
all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them,
to suffice them?
Gods response to Moses
also came in the form of a question. He asked in Numbers
11:23, Is the Lords hand waxed short? Then He assured
him, Thou shalt see now whether my word shall come to
pass unto thee or not.
Like Moses, sometimes we all need our thinking
challenged. When it comes to the power of God in our lives,
has the Lords hand waxed short? Is He unable to deliver?
Are things simply outside of the realm of possibility
when it comes to His participation or intervention in
our lives?
Our response to that question will be shaped by
our belief in Who God really is. Is He the One He declares
Himself to be in His Word, or is He just something we
imagine Him to be? Jeremiah had an accurate knowledge
of God, and he said, Ah Lord GOD! Behold, thou hast made
the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched
out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee. (Jeremiah
32:17) Similarly Jesus when teaching his disciples about
Gods ability to deliver said, With men this is impossible;
but with God all things are possible. (Matthew 19:26)
Certainly the creation testifies to the glory and
power of God (Romans 1:20). The deliverance of Israel
from the bondage in Egypt is also used as an example of
Gods great power to deliver (Deuteronomy 4:32-37). Recognizing
Gods hand in history, as recorded in His Word, assures
us of His involvement in our day and time, since He is
the Lord God Who changes not.
The next time our five senses tries to deceive
us into thinking that there is no help for us in the Lord,
why not challenge our thinking with the question, Is
any thing to hard for the Lord? Recalling His deliverance
to Abraham and Sarah and how mightily He led His people
out of Egypt ought to fortify our confidence that with
Him all things are possible. When we are tempted to think
that God cannot we should confidently assert that He can.
When it comes to His promise, remember, Faithful is he
that calleth you, who also will do it. (I Thessalonians
5:24)
Although Abraham had some difficulty appropriating
Gods promises, he eventually overcame the difficulties
and believed to receive. How many of us would still persevere
after about twenty five years? Abraham was not belittled
by God for his apparent trouble in receiving the promise.
Rather, he was called the father of all them that believe
(Romans 4:11). Just how did Abraham do it?
Romans 4:19-21:
And being not weak in faith
20 He staggered not at the
promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith,
giving glory to God;
21 And being fully persuaded
that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.
Abraham gave glory to God.
He acknowledged His might and majesty. He affirmed Gods
ability to do as He promised. When it comes to God we
should sever the words impossible and cannot from
our vocabularies for these words do not apply to Him.
He does whatever He pleases (Psalms 115:3), and what He
is pleased to do He declared in His Written Word.
Let us, like Abraham, be fully persuaded that what
God promised, He is able also to perform. Spending time
in His Word saturating our minds with what He has done
for His people throughout history, can only help us acknowledge
His ability to perform His good, acceptable, and perfect
will for us today.
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