Is Anything Too Hard for God?

by Casey Lewis November 6, 2016

In Genesis 18, God meets with Abraham and tells him that he will have a son within a year, even though Sarah is beyond childbearing age. Hearing God's promise, Sarah laughs in doubt. But God doesn't think this is a laughing matter. He is serious about finally providing them with their promised child. In a remarkable exchange with Abraham regarding Sarah's unbelief, God asks Abraham: 

“Is anything too hard for the Lord?” (Genesis 18:14a) 

The answer to God's question is important not only for Abraham but for us as well. God's ability to fulfill His promise to Abraham either confirms or denies His power and abilities – the same power and abilities we place our hope in today. For if God can't provide a child to a childless woman beyond childbearing age, how could He ever raise us from the grave, provide us with a glorified body, and return the world to an Edenic state? 

How do we know nothing is too hard for God? 

Think about who our God is for a moment. 

He is Our Creator 

Genesis 1 tells us that God created everything we see, including you and me. The way God creates is much different than how we create. God doesn’t need raw materials or tools. He doesn’t have to set up a factory or an assembly line. Instead, God is able to create something from nothing just by speaking. 

Imagine being able to say you want a new car and suddenly one appears in the garage. Or speaking aloud the details of your dream home, and there it is. Wanting the next iPhone and it is right there in your pocket. Imagine being able to create something from nothing, just by speaking, like God does. 

In case you are wondering, we know this is how God creates because of Genesis Chapter 1. As you work through that chapter, you see the constant refrain, “And God said…” Over and over again, we read those words before we read of something else He created. And as we do, we are reminded just how powerful our God is. 

He is Our Sustainer 

Jesus, who is God, does the impossible task of holding everything together. Paul in Colossians 1:17 confirms this when he says:

"And he is before all things [speaking of Jesus], and in him all things hold together.” (Colossians 1:17) 

You see, the reason the universe functions as it does, the reason everything doesn’t spin out of control, the reason we don’t cease to exist is because God is sustaining it all. Every atom, every particle is sustained by God. 

He is Our Healer 

Lepers, blind men, those who are lame and deaf, those who are dying or dead – Jesus healed them all. Doing what is impossible just by a touch or a word. 

He is Our Savior 

The way God saves is contrary to how we might imagine someone saving us. God doesn’t use political or military might. He doesn’t use money or technology. Instead, He uses a dying Messiah. Something that, if we are honest with ourselves, doesn’t make much sense. 

But with God, that which seems foolish is actually wise. Consider what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 1:22-25 about God’s wisdom in using a crucified Messiah:

"For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.” (1 Colossians 1:22–25) 

So our God not only creates, sustains, and heals, but He also saves. He does so in a way that reveals His wisdom and might. 

Nothing is Impossible with God 

When you consider all these things, I think it is safe to say that nothing is impossible for God. If God wants Sarah to have a baby, even if it is physiologically impossible for her to have one, then she is going to have one. Likewise, if God wants to heal us of a disease, extend our life a few more years, provide us with a job, spouse, or child, then it’s going to happen. 

We shouldn’t doubt His abilities. Instead, we should trust God to do the impossible in our lives, in our families, in our community, and in our nation. Nothing is too hard for God!