God made a promise to Sarai and Abram—He had given them His word that He would make a great nation from them. There was only one challenge, though: Sarai was 65 and Abram was 75 years old when God made this promise to this childless couple. They had been barren for all of the years of their marriage, which was probably close to a half-century.
I can tell you from personal experience that generally when God makes a promise to one of His children that it is humanly impossible to make it happen! God’s promises are only fulfilled by His power and by His intervention.
Nearly 25 more years passed by in the lives of Sarah and Abraham. During this time period, God had given them each a new name; He had changed “Sarai” to “Sarah” and “Abram” to “Abraham”. God had placed the “Yahweh” sound in each of their names. He had breathed into their very lives His presence and His power.
However, this couple who had heard God speak to them, still had not seen His promise come to pass. Their arms were still empty and it seemed even more impossible now than it had seemed 25 years earlier.
“Now Abraham and Sarah were old and very advanced in age, and Sarah was well past childbearing” (Gen. 18:11).
Sarah was post-menopausal and, in the natural, there was no way that she would ever bear a child. It had not happened when she was young—how in the world could it ever happen now? Abraham was nearly 100 years old, and still there was no child for Abraham and Sarah. So the Lord said to Abraham, “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” (Gen. 18:14).
The question we all must answer as we wait for the promises of God to be fulfilled in our lives is this one, “Is anything too difficult for the Lord?”
Is it too difficult for God to save your marriage?
Is it too difficult for God to bring your child home?
Is it too difficult for God to heal your body?
Is it too difficult for God to open doors of destiny for you?
Is it too difficult for God to set someone free from an addiction?
Is anything too difficult for the Lord?
I hope that you will answer with Sarah, with Abraham and with me, “Nothing is too difficult for the Lord!”
If you know the rest of Sarah’s story, you know that she gave birth to a son, Isaac, when she was 90 years old. God never makes a promise that He does not fulfill! It was humanly impossible for Sarah to give birth, but God intervened with His miracle-working power.
What God did for Sarah—He can certainly do for you.
You are never too old for God to do a great work in your life. Allow Him to breathe His identity on you and then wait expectantly for Him to fulfill His promise.
Carol McLeod is an author and popular speaker at women’s conferences and retreats, where she teaches the Word of God with great joy and enthusiasm. Carol encourages and empowers women with passionate and practical biblical messages mixed with her own special brand of hope and humor. She has written five books: No More Ordinary, Holy Estrogen!, The Rooms of a Woman’s Heart and Defiant Joy! Her most recent book, Refined: Finding Joy in the Midst of the Fire, will be released on Aug. 1. Her teaching DVD The Rooms of a Woman’s Heart won the Telly Award, a prestigious industry award for excellence in religious programming.
For more of Carol McLeod’s teaching, listen to the podcasts included here.
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