Is anything too difficult for the Lord?

-



Scripture

“Is anything too difficult for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, at this time next year, and Sarah will have a son.”
(Genesis 18:14 NASB)
They struck the men who were at the doorway of the house with blindness, both small and great, so that they wearied themselves trying to find the doorway.
(Genesis 19:11 NASB)
Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who were to marry his daughters, and said, “Up, get out of this place, for the LORD will destroy the city.” But he appeared to his sons-in-law to be jesting.
(Genesis 19:14 NASB)

Observation

In these Genesis passages we find, again and again, God's attempt to draw his beloved humanity towards him. He fulfills his promise to Abraham and Sarah. He tries desperately to save Lot, which proves to be a challenging case. There were times in the former Soviet Union that we used to say that trying to help people was something like a reverse mugging. Please, beat me up and steal from me so that I can help you :) Here the angels of God try to save Lot and his household. They perform a miracle, blinding the eyes of the men who were ravenous with their fleshly lustings. Lots solution to the problem was rather despicable. He was willing to give his daughters away -- rather than trust in God. Then, he tries to save the young men who are betrothed to his daughters. They, quite obviously, were not followers of God, and yet, Lot was willing to give his daughters to them. They figured that Lot was just joking and so we can only assume that they were burned up with all of Sodom and Gomorrah. All along the way faith was tested, for they really did not believe that with God all things were possible!

Application

It's so easy to be critical of the responses of Sarah, Lot, the son-in-laws and the rest of society. How in the world could they not have believed that God would intervene and provide a miraculous response? He had promised, hadn't he? Of course God had promised that he would provide the answers to these problems, if only Abraham and his family would be obedient. Over and over God proved his faithfulness to Abraham and his progeny. God is still in the business of being faithful to us today. He is still trying to tell us that nothing is too difficult for him! The problem is that that we could probably find ourselves somewhere in the story. We may belong with Sarah -- snickering and thinking, yeah right! We may be with Lot who, though faced with the angels of God, thinks he has to come up with some solution to his problem -- and he comes up with a pretty stupid one. That's generally how it turns out when we try to do things ourselves. Or, we may be like the son-in-laws who didn't believe in God at all and thought it was just a big joke. However, it is the same God today, for whom nothing is too difficult, that loves us and wants to help us. Are we willing to step into the stream of God's ebb and flow in this world and trust him for the journey? He really will continue to lead us, day in and day out, if we will simply trust him. Nothing is too difficult for him -- even our unbelief.

Prayer

Lord, thank you for the ways you have been working and intervening. I do see your hand at work and am so very grateful. May I always continue to trust in you day in and day out -- to your glory. Amen.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Take Off Your Ornaments

-
Scripture: Ex. 33:4 ¶ When the people heard these harsh words, they mourned, and no one put on ornaments. Ex. 33:5 For the LORD had said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘You are a stiff-necked people; if for a single moment I should go up among you, I would consume you. So now take off your ornaments, and I will decide what to do to you.’” Ex. 33:6 Therefore the Israelites stripped themselves of their ornaments, from Mount Horeb onward. Observation: The people had sinned before God by making and worshiping the golden calf!  They had taken their golden jewelry — the earrings and other items they had gotten from the Egyptians and used them to create an idol.  Now, in an act of humility and repentance they were to take off all of their jewelry and ornaments.  It was a time of mourning over their sin and it included intentional action on the part of the Israelites.  Application: We don’t do all that well with humility and repentance!  It seems that we live in a ti...
Read more

Does God Value Boys More than Girls?

-
Scripture: Lev. 12:1 ¶ The LORD spoke to Moses, saying: Lev. 12:2 Speak to the people of Israel, saying: ¶ If a woman conceives and bears a male child, she shall be ceremonially unclean seven days; as at the time of her menstruation, she shall be unclean. Lev. 12:3 On the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. Lev. 12:4 Her time of blood purification shall be thirty-three days; she shall not touch any holy thing, or come into the sanctuary, until the days of her purification are completed. Lev. 12:5 If she bears a female child, she shall be unclean two weeks, as in her menstruation; her time of blood purification shall be sixty-six days. Lev. 12:6 ¶ When the days of her purification are completed, whether for a son or for a daughter, she shall bring to the priest at the entrance of the tent of meeting a lamb in its first year for a burnt offering, and a pigeon or a turtledove for a sin offering. Lev. 12:7 He shall offer it before the LORD, and make atonement on her ...
Read more

On Grief and A Flute Player

-
Scripture: Matt. 9:23 When Jesus came to the leader’s house and saw the flute players and the crowd making a commotion, Matt. 9:24 he said, “Go away; for the girl is not dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at him. Matt. 9:25 But when the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took her by the hand, and the girl got up. Matt. 9:26 And the report of this spread throughout that district. Observation: This is a simple story which we have heard or read numerous times. Jesus heals the little girl and the people rejoice. But at the moment in which he arrives at the home he encounters the professional mourners. These are the flute players, the ones who have come to make a great noise about the child’s death. It is the flute player that testifies to the fact that she is truly dead. Also, flutes were generally employed when it came to the death of a child. The whole community would therefore understand that it is a child who has died in this home. The flute player is doing the job they have ...
Read more