The Lord had given Abraham a promise that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars in the sky. But Abraham was near one hundred years old and he still didn’t have a son through his wife Sarah. In Genesis 18, we read that the Lord appeared to him by the terebinth trees of Mamre. There the Lord spoke to Abraham. Genesis 18:10-14 “And He said, ‘I will certainly return to you according to the time of life, and behold, Sarah your wife shall have a son.’ (Sarah was listening in the tent door which was behind him.) Now Abraham and Sarah were old, well advanced in age; and Sarah had passed the age of childbearing. Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, ‘After I have grown old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?’ And the Lord said to Abraham, ‘Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Shall I surely bear a child, since I am old?’ Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.’” The promise came true; the next year, Sarah bore Abraham a son named Isaac. Abraham was an old man; Sarah was past the age of childbearing. But the Lord promised that she would have a son and she did. Notice that He said “Is anything too hard for the Lord?” With mankind, we are limited, but with the Lord, nothing is too hard.
When the Israelites left Egypt, God gave them manna to eat. But the people were not satisfied with manna and desired meat. Although the Lord was displeased with the people for complaining, he promised to give them meat. Moses didn’t believe that it was possible. Numbers 11:21-23 “And Moses said, ‘The people whom I am among are six hundred thousand men on foot; yet You have said, ‘I will give them meat, that they may eat for a whole month.’ Shall flocks and herds be slaughtered for them, to provide enough for them? Or shall all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, to provide enough for them?’ And the Lord said to Moses, ‘Has the Lord’s arm been shortened? Now you shall see whether what I say will happen to you or not.’” Numbers 11:31-32 “Now a wind went out from the Lord, and it brought quail from the sea and left them fluttering near the camp, about a day’s journey on this side and about a day’s journey on the other side, all around the camp, and about two cubits above the surface of the ground. And the people stayed up all that day, all night, and all the next day, and gathered the quail (he who gathered least gathered ten homers); and they spread them out for themselves all around the camp.” Moses didn’t believe that it was possible to provide meat for six thousand men and their families. But the Lord provided. Notice that He said “Has the Lord’s arm been shortened?” With mankind, we are limited, but with the Lord, nothing is too hard.
Let us next look at an incident during the ministry of Jesus. John 6:5-12 “Then Jesus lifted up His eyes, and seeing a great multitude coming toward Him, He said to Philip, ‘Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?’ But this He said to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do. Philip answered Him, ‘Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may have a little.’ One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to Him, ‘There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?’ Then Jesus said, ‘Make the people sit down.’ Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted.” Five loaves and two small fish are totally inadequate to feed five thousand men. But nothing is too hard for the Lord.
Matthew 19:23-26 “Then Jesus said to His disciples, ‘Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.’ When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, ‘Who then can be saved?’ But Jesus looked at them and said to them, ‘With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.’” A rich man typically trusts in his riches and doesn’t have faith in God. But with God, all things are possible; even a rich man can be saved. God can touch the heart of individuals that we may think would never believe or accept the gospel. Things which seem impossible to us are possible with God.
Paul prayed for the Ephesians in Ephesians 1:17-21 “That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.” Just like the Ephesians, the eyes of our understanding need to be enlightened to the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which he worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead. As God proved His power by raising Christ from the dead, He can use that mighty power toward us who believe.
What about things in your life? Are there things that you desire that seem impossible? God does not always give us the things that we desire. But we should not doubt His power. Is anything too hard for the Lord? No! God has proved His power to do “impossible” things many times. Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” Lay your requests before Him in faith and see if He will do “impossible” things in your life.