You probably remember the story in Genesis in which God appeared to Abraham. The patriarch was sitting at the door of his tent during the heat of the day when suddenly three men appeared before him, standing under a tree. Abraham went out to meet the men, prepared a nice meal, and then visited with them.
During their conversation, the Lord asked Abraham where his wife, Sarah, was. Then God said something incredible: “Sarah your wife shall have a son” (Genesis 18:10, NKJV).
When Sarah heard this, she laughed at the idea. “Impossible,” she thought. She was way beyond the age of childbearing, and Abraham was too old to sire a child. Yet when God heard Sarah’s laughter, he said, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Shall I surely bear a child, since I am old?’ Is anything too hard for the Lord?” (Genesis 18:13–14).
God asks the same question of his children in these present times: Is anything too hard for the Lord? Each of us must face our own difficult situations in life. And in the midst of them, God asks, “Do you think your problem is too hard for me to fix, or do you believe I can work it out for you?”
Jesus tells us, “The things which are impossible with men are possible with God” (Luke 18:27). Do you believe this word from the Lord? Do you accept that he can perform the impossible in your marriage, your family, your job, or your future?
We are quick to counsel others that he can. When we see our loved ones facing difficult times, we tell them, “Hold on and look up. Don’t stop trusting the Lord!”
Sarah, who doubted the Lord, probably would have offered this very counsel to her friends. Imagine that she heard about faithful people who wanted a baby but were too old to bear one. If you asked Sarah what she would say to them, she might say, “Tell them to hold on. They can’t give up hope. They serve a God who does the impossible, and he will do it.” But Sarah had a hard time believing this for herself. Even today, many Christians boldly proclaim God’s power to others, but we don’t believe his Word for ourselves.