Our Scripture reading forth is Sunday is Genesis 18:1-15 as we continue our series on Questions God Asks.
There are two questions here that God asks. First, "Why did Sarah laugh ...?" And then, "Is anything too hard for the Lord?" And it's that second question we will focus on this Sunday.
Is anything too hard for the Lord? (Or, literally, is anything too wonderful for the Lord?)
This is a question that can be twisted in such a way to suggest that God can and will give us anything that we want, so long as we ask and believe. You want a bigger house? Nicer car? Better paying job? More vacation time? Believe! Is anything too hard for the Lord?
But that is taking this question out of context ... Which as we know is not a wise thing to do. In this context the question is asked in reference to God's promises. God had promised Abraham and Sarah a son, and He had made that promise 24 years earlier so the skepticism by Abraham in Genesis 17 and Sarah here is understandable. It had been 24 years since God made the promise ... and now they were nearly 100 (Abraham) and 90 (Sarah) so it sure seemed like God had forgotten the promise He had made and now it was too hard ... Right?
Is anything too hard for the Lord?
Abraham and Sarah learned that nothing is too hard for the Lord. He keeps His promises, even though He does so on His own time. But He is always faithful. Within the year we read in Genesis 21 that Isaac was born and Sarah proclaims that God has restored her laughter and kept His promises.
Is anything too hard for the Lord?
There are only two possible ways that we can answer that question. Either we answer "Yes" and we claim that God is not truly God; or we answer "No" as Abraham and Sarah learned to answer, and we learn that trusting in God to keep His promises sometimes means a lot of waiting.
Sometimes it feels like God has abandoned us, like we have got ourselves into a situation too far from God but God promises to always be with us. And God keeps that promise. His presence and His peace remind us that He is faithful.
Sometimes you feel like a failure, like you can never measure up, like you have done too much to make God not love you anymore but God promises that there is nothing that can separate us from His love in his Son, Jesus. And God keeps that promise. The cross shows us that God is faithful.
Sometimes we wonder if God really will make all things right again, with all the war and unrest in the world, but God promises that through Jesus Christ He is making all things new, and He will restore all things when Jesus returns. And God is keeping that promise. Jesus' resurrection and ascension assure us that God is faithful.
And so, no matter what (even if it takes a long time) we can trust Him. He will keep His promises because nothing is too hard for the Lord.