God Of The Impossible

God of the Impossible

Sarah

Read: Genesis 18:1-15

Sarah faced an impossible situation. She and Abraham had set out from their home twenty-four years earlier, trusting in God’s promise that they would have countless descendants. Abraham had fathered a son by Hagar, but God insisted that Abraham’s heir would come from Sarah. As she neared the age of ninety, Sarah’s hope must have worn thin. At times, the promised blessing may have felt to her like a cruel joke.

When God visited Abraham and confirmed that Sarah would have a baby the next year, God asked, “Is anything too hard for the LORD?” This is a question we need to ask ourselves when we face impossible situations. God often expects us to believe what seems unbelievable. We may wonder how we can stay in such an unfulfilling marriage, or if we will ever see the fruit of our spiritual training in our children. He may ask us to give up a lifelong habit or to serve him in some way that seems far beyond our abilities.

By waiting to fulfill the promise until Sarah was far beyond normal childbearing years, God displayed his power for everyone to see. No one could deny that Isaac’s birth was miraculous. The Bible gives many accounts of God’s revealing himself by accomplishing the impossible. He conquered powerful armies with a small band of faithful followers, parted a sea, and raised the dead. His most “impossible” feat was to become human and die for our sins so that we wouldn’t have to.

Our society spouts positive-thinking clichés such as, “If you believe it, you can achieve it,” but we do better to believe in God than to rely on our own mental powers. Is anything too hard for the Lord? Our faith may sometimes waver, but we know the answer. We can be positive that God will keep his promises—even when it means doing the “impossible.”

[Jesus said,] “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible.”

Matthew 19:26