Between God and man, there is a two-fold challenge as revealed in Genesis 18:14: (1) our estimate of the power of God which (2) directly impacts the extent of our own faith in God.
Genesis 18:14a: “Is anything too hard for the Lord?”
- Grammatical Usage: “too hard” or in the Greek, “hă·yip·pā·lê” meaning, “to make great, difficult, wonderful”.
- Literal Interpretation: Is anything to great, difficult or wonderful for the Lord?
- Contextual/Comparison: God keeps His Word: God continually uses His Word. In these days many of God’s people are discouraged, despondent and filled with doubt. This ought not to be, for discouragement always comes from the Devil, despondency paralyses us for useful service and doubt dishonors the Lord.
The circumstances in which the question, ‘Is anything too hard for the Lord?’ was asked, are brought before us in Genesis 15:1-6; 17:1-5; 15-19; 18:1-14; 21:1-8. Abraham was 100 years old and Sarah was 90, resulting in Genesis 18:11. Humanly speaking, it was impossible for Sarah to bear a child. At first Abraham laughed at the idea (17:17), but afterwards Sarah laughed also (18:12) – and then it was that the Lord Himself said, ‘Is anything too hard for the Lord?’. Well, is anything…?
Consider the following five propositions, replete with Scriptural documentation:
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- There is no PROMISE too hard for the Lord to fulfil.
It is computed that in the Bible there are 30,000 promises, all of which ‘are yes, and in Him Amen…’ (2 Corinthians 1:20); that is, they are promises to the child of God (2 Peter 1:4), and they are all absolutely sure (Numbers 23:19). Every promise that God has ever made will be fulfilled, and there is a promise to meet your very need. Notice three illustrations of ‘hard things’ that God promised and accomplished:
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- He promised that the walls of Jericho would fall, but that Rahab’s dwelling on the wall and her family would be spared. This was indeed a hard thing (Joshua 2:1-24; 6:1-25).
- He promised to feed Elijah by ravens at Cherith and by a widow at Zarephath. This was a hard thing (1 Kings 17:2-16).
- He promised that Mary would bring forth a son, though she was a virgin. This was a hard thing (Luke 1:26-38).
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- There is no PRAYER too hard for the Lord to answer.
One of the great prayer-promises in the Bible is Jeremiah 33:3, where the word ‘unsearchable’ may be translated ‘hidden’, ‘fenced in’, or ‘hard’. The Lord loves to answer hard prayers (Matthew 17:20; John 16:23). In every situation and circumstance of life He invites us to pray, and He promises to answer our prayers.
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- What a hard thing it was, humanly speaking, to give Abraham and Sarah a child! Biologically it was impossible, yet their prayer was answered.
- Genesis 24:1-67: How hard it was, humanly speaking, for Abraham’s servant to find just the right bride for Isaac, yet God answered prayer by leading Eliezer to choose Rebekah!
- 1 Kings 18:17-41: How hard it was, humanly speaking, for fire to fall upon the altar, but it was not too hard for the Lord, and Elijah’s prayer was answered!
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- There is no PROBLEM too hard for the Lord to solve.
Possibly you have a problem which you have been trying to solve by yourself – and you have failed! Ask the Lord to solve it for you. He can and He will perform a miracle for you, if it is for His glory to do so. He is a miracle-working God, and nothing is too hard for Him. Look up the following: see how His power was put forth in the solution of His people’s problems.
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- He enabled them to pass through the Red Sea unharmed and on dry land – Exodus 14:13-31.
- He solved the problem of the bitter water at Marah – Exodus 15:23-26.
- He gave them water out of the rock – Exodus 17:5-7
- He turned the water into wine – John 2:1-11
- He stilled the storm – Mark 4:35-41
- He fed five thousand – Matthew 14:15-21
- He raised the dead – John 11:38-46
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- There is no PLACE too hard for the Lord to revive.
We so quickly get discouraged in our work for the Lord. God’s people are frequently heard to say, ‘The work is very hard; forces are against us, the Word is ignored!’ But why should we accept this defeatist attitude when our God is the God of the impossible? Isaiah 43:19: “Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” These five faith areas describe what the true church of Jesus Christ should be about today:
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- Worship/Prayer: We were created to give God praise and to have a personal relationship with Him through prayer (Psalm 72:15)
- Learning: We were designed to become like Christ by seeking Him daily in His Word (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
- Fellowship: We were formed to be part of God’s family (Acts 2:44-45)
- Service: We were shaped to have a ministry within the Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:4-7)
- Mission: We are commanded to share God’s love and gospel (Matthew 28:19-20)
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- There is no PERSON too hard for the Lord to save.
Thank God, Hebrews 7:25 is still true – yet we frequently doubt God’s ability to save people! We look upon certain cases as hard!
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- The woman who was a sinner was wonderfully saved by the Lord Jesus – Luke 7:36-50
- A condemned criminal was gloriously converted in his dying hour – Luke 23:39-43
- A persecutor was humbled to the dust by the sight of the risen Lord – Acts 9:1-7
- A jailer and his family were suddenly converted – Acts 16:25-34
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- Conclusion: Is anything too hard for the Lord? What is your answer?
