IS ANYTHING TOO HARD FOR GOD?

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ABRAHAM AND SARAH

Read Genesis 17:1–18:15

     Then the LORD said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh and say, 'Will I really have a child, now that I am old?' Is anything too hard for the LORD?"  Genesis 18:13–14a NIV

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     At the age of ninety nine, God once again appeared to Abraham to confirm His covenant promise: He said to Abraham, "As for Sarai your wife … I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her." (Genesis 17:15a–16) By this, Abraham knew that the promise was not for Hagar’s son, Ishmael, but for a son that God would give him through Sarah.

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     We are not told the reason why God waited so long to fulfill His promise to Abraham. It may be that He and Sarah had to come to the end of themselves and their own efforts. Unfortunately, their impatience caused great heartache for them and the generations that followed.

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     Lord, help me to be patient when Your answers are long in coming. I know that nothing is too hard for You, but sometimes my thoughts and actions don’t reflect that belief. Give me discernment to know when I should move ahead and act, and when I should just wait on You. Take away the anxiety I experience when things seem out of control and grant me the peace that comes only from You.

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     "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."   Philippians 4:6–7 NIV

UNEXPECTED ANSWER

KING HEROD'S PERSECUTION

Read Acts 12:1–24

     (King Herod) had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword… So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him. Acts 12:2, 5 NIV

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     On the last night before Peter's trial, the disciples gathered at John Mark's home to pray for his deliverance. What they did not expect, was that their prayers would be miraculously answered that very night. A young servant girl, Rhoda, came to answer the door, and when she recognized Peter's voice, she was so overjoyed she ran back without opening it and exclaimed, "Peter is at the door!"
     "You're out of your mind," they told her. When she kept insisting that it was so, they said, "It must be his angel." (12:14–15)

     While they tried to process what was happening, Peter kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished. (12:16)

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     Lord, I wonder how many times I have prayed without really expecting an answer. It is a comfort to me that You worked this miracle, not because of the strength of their faith, but on the basis of Your Almighty power in answer to earnest prayer.

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     …Herod, wearing his royal robes, sat on his throne and delivered a public address to the people. They shouted, "This is the voice of a god, not of a man." Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died.   Acts 12:21–23 NIV