When It Comes To His Ability ~ Bob Coy

Is anything too hard for the LORD?" Genesis 18:14 (NKJV)

It's not something we readily admit to. It slithers into our hearts so subtly and stealthily. Things happen in a day, a week, a month, a year, a lifetime. Things that we don't want to happen. They add up and before we realize it our heart can turn skeptical when it comes to God's absolute power in and over our lives.

If God could ... then my life would look a lot different, our fallen minds reason. We begin to think of God as another add-on in our lives who might effect some random changes here or there, but that's pretty much it. He's no longer the supreme Sovereign over all situations, challenges, and things.

That's sort of the place Sarah had reached in Genesis 18. Her child-bearing years were a thing of the past, visible only in the rear-view mirror of life. To have a child, at her age...nothing could be more impossible. It could never happen, not even if God... Though a godly woman, the years of disappointment had eroded Sarah's confidence in His ability in this particular area of her life. So when He personally shows up and shares that she would have a child, she scoffs at the notion.

Then the piercing, penetrating question comes, "Is anything too hard for the LORD?" This is exactly what Sarah needed to hear. Think it through: If God created the entire universe, (Genesis 1:1), and if it all fits in the palm of His hand (Isaiah 40:12), then absolutely everything is under His control. Nothing in existence is impossible or too hard for Him...including the things that seem insurmountable in our own lives.

God may not want to do everything we want or expect Him to, and we may not always understand why. But let there never be any doubt when it comes to His ability.

Discuss and share with your group about a time in your life when you felt your burden was too heavy to bear. How did you see God help you during that time? What did you do?

Dig into Genesis 18:1–14. What made this situation seem so unbelievable? What does Sarah’s response say about her faith? How would you have reacted if you had been Sarah? What proof would you need to give you assurance?

Decide to pray for those who may be burdened and doubting God’s ability to heal and restore. Lift them up, and ask God to encourage their faith in Him.