The Lord promised Abraham that Sarah would have a child. When Sarah heard it she laughed and said, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old? To this the Lord replied, Is anything too hard for the Lord?
In this instance Sarah was old and Abraham was old, and if anything seemed unlikely it was that Sarah in her old age would bear a child to Abraham. Natural reason would say that the thing was impossible, and by natural standards it was impossible. But we are not to judge God by natural standards or our view of God and of His power will be very limited — Is any thing too hard for the Lord? What is impossible with men is possible with God.
Earlier Abraham had laughed and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? And shall Sarah, that is ninety years, old, bear? He also said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before Thee? But this could not be. The son of the bondwoman was not to be the heir, but the son of the freewoman. Isaac was the seed of the promise, for God had said, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. What God had promised he was to fulfil. And from the line of Isaac was to come the promised Seed of the woman who was to bruise the head of the serpent. Is any thing too hard for the Lord?
When difficulties arise how ready we are to conclude that these difficulties cannot be resolved. They become a burden to us too heavy to be borne. We become cast down and ready to despair. In such a case this Scripture conveys a message to us, Is any thing too hard for the Lord? What difficulty, what trial is there out of which the Lord is not able to deliver us? Even when every other refuge fails us in our hour of need, Is any thing too hard for the Lord? Even when our problem is so intractable that it seems impossible to us that there could be any resolution of it, Is any thing too hard for the Lord? In His hand, impossibilities become not only possibilities and probabilities, but certainties and actualities. Is any thing too hard for the Lord?
But our situation, our circumstances, our need may appear so altogether unique that we are ready to conclude that it would be presumption on our part to think that the Lord would intervene on our behalf to deliver us. Again the Word of the Lord assures us, Is any thing too hard for the Lord? Sin-laden, guilty, exposed to the divine wrath and curse what hope can there be for us? The answer comes again, Is any thing too hard for the Lord? Is He not able to deliver and has He not made provision for the deliverance of sinners in and through His well-beloved Son? If He is able to deliver the lost and the hell-deserving, then is any thing too hard for the Lord? The Apostle could say, to the believing Church at Rome, He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?
When the state of the Church is low and she is faced with trials and tribulation out of which there appears to be no deliverance, again the Word of the Lord comes to give encouragement and assurance to His tried people and Church. Is any thing too hard for the Lord? He will indeed deliver His Church. To this end the Lord is exalted at God’s right hand—”Sit on My right hand until I make Thine enemies Thy footstool.” Let us not then be discouraged. Our Redeemer is mighty. “He hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath He thrown into the sea.” So sang Moses and the children of Israel at the Red Sea. And He is the same God still. “Who is like unto Thee, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like Thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?”