IS ANYTHING TOO HARD FOR GOD?

      In my last blog, I presented the first "great" question in the Bible. It is not the greatest question- that will come later- but it is a great one. After anger got the best of Cain, he murdered his brother, Abel, and when God challenged him, Cain asked a question that we all ask to this day: AM I MY BROTHER'S KEEPER? The answer, it seems to me, is YES. I am my brother's/sister's keeper because my brother/sister bear God's image and because we're all in this thing together. Now to the 2nd of the Bible's GREAT questions: IS ANYTHING TO HARD FOR GOD? It's an important question. It's a question that has always challenged people of faith. It's a question that begs for a hurried answer from people who have not been tested. It's a question that gives deep peace and unquenchable hope to believers around the world and, if it makes you feel any better, it's a question that is as old as the book of Genesis.
      In the 37th chapter of Ezekiel, the Spirit of the Lord carried the prophet to a field of dry bones. There were a lot of them (waist-deep) and they were very dry. They were not sort of dry, or in need of a little TLC- they were dead and rigid. God asked Ezekiel, "Son of man, can these dry bones live?" Well... can they? What do you think? And the prophet answered, "You know Lord." Yes, God knew, and through His word alone, the bones came together. Then, flesh came upon them, and they rose to their feet, like a victorious army! In the 32nd chapter of Jeremiah, we join the prophet as he is sitting in prison. He is waiting for Babylon to destroy the city, and things couldn't have been bleaker! And yet, the word of God came to Jeremiah, telling him to buy a piece of land. So, he bought a piece of land, and considered it a wise investment... because the day would come when Judah would thrive again. It seemed impossible, but God said, "I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is there anything to hard for me?" Well, is there? Would you have purchased a lot in a country that was just about to be decimated? In the 1st chapter of Luke's gospel, an angel of God told a teenage virgin that she would bear a son without having sexual intercourse... because God would be the boy's father. Has anyone ever heard of a virgin birth? Is it even possible? Mary was confused, and she asked the angel, "how can this be?" It will come to pass, the angel assured her, because nothing is impossible for God!
      I could cite other passages, but I will conclude with the well-known passage from the 18th chapter of Genesis. Abraham was sitting under the oaks of Mamre and his wife, Sarah, was preparing a meal inside their tent... when three strangers approached Abraham. Immediately, Abraham invited them to stay for a meal, which would have been common in those days, and as they waited on the food, the 4 men talked about many things. The entire "pericope" is fascinating, but our focus in on God's promise-His statement of fact. Just before they left, the spokesman for the three told Abraham that, come spring, Sarah would give birth to a boy... and Sarah, who had been listening inside the tent, began to laugh. She snickered and laughed out loud because the visitor's words were more than ridiculous. She was old- really old- and beyond the "way of women," and Abraham was even older! They had tried to have a child of their own for decades, and now that it was too late, the visitor said that she would become pregnant and give birth to a bouncing baby boy. The messenger (angel) heard Sarah and asked Abraham, "Why did Sarah doubt and laugh at what I said? IS ANYTHING TOO HARD FOR THE LORD?"
      If everything is possible for the Lord, we ought to be a very confident and bold people. We ought to face life head on, and (without coming to believe that God is OUR servant) we ought to pray as if there is no tomorrow. If nothing is too hard for God, I can pray for life in the face of a death. I can enter a dying person's room and pray for God's healing because God can do anything. If God can do anything, I can buy a piece of land just before the entire area is destroyed, and I can put my entire trust in God. If God can do anything, I can throw caution to the wind and turn all that I have over to Him, and if God can do anything, I can believe, claim, and live for a promised life after death. If God can do anything, enemies can become friends and losers can become winners. If God can do anything, I can approach his throne boldly! Indeed, believing that God can do anything... IS the key to transforming hope and real contentment. I prayed for both of my brothers to live, and they died... but I believe that God can do anything... because I believe His word and...because He has given me 2nd, 3rd, and Nth chances. If God can do anything, He can erase my sins and wipe my slate clean!
      But IF some things are to hard for God, I better pray and preach cautiously because I don't want to embarrass myself or put God on the spot. If God can't do what He wants to do- if He is confined by the laws of physics and our own free will- then I had better look out for myself. If Christ is not risen, we are all fools, and if God doesn't know our name, we are truly lost. Stories from the Bible are fascinating... but my greater concern is for me and you and what we do with this question today: IS ANYTHING TOO HARD FOR GOD? WHAT DO YOU SAY?