Is Anything Too Difficult for the Lord? [Genesis 18]

 ⁹Then they said to him, "Where is Sarah your wife?" And he said, "There, in the tent."¹⁰He said, "I will surely return to you at this time next year; and behold, Sarah your wife will have a son." And Sarah was listening at the tent door, which was behind him.

 ¹¹Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in age; Sarah was past childbearing. ¹²Sarah laughed to herself, saying, "After I have become old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?"

 ¹³And the LORD said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh, saying, 'Shall I indeed bear a child, when I am so old?' ¹⁴"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." ¹⁵Sarah denied it however, saying, "I did not laugh"; for she was afraid. And He said, "No, but you did laugh."

The LORD had already told Abraham that he would have a son with Sarah.  Why did He come to their tent to tell him again?  I think He did it for Sarah.  She had been waiting a long time for a baby.  She had endured the pain of watching her servant bear a son for her husband and now she knew she "was past childbearing."  She had completely given up on God's promise and the thought that she would ever have the pleasure of holding her own child in her arms.  She had grown cynical and she laughed, probably to keep from crying. 

When the LORD asked why she laughed and said to herself, 'Shall I indeed bear a child, when I am so old?' He also asked another question for her to ponder.  "Is anything too difficult for the LORD?"  God cut to the heart of her unbelief.  It wasn't that she was too old, she was believing that God could and would not give her a son. Then He reiterated for her His truth, "At the appointed time I will return to you, at this time next year, and Sarah will have a son." What a gracious God we have!  He spoke right to her heart and addressed her fear.  He gave her a time frame to look for the answer.  The long years of waiting would finally be over.  Could it be true?  And then a second fear gripped her.  What if God changed His mind because she laughed in doubt?  So she "denied it however, saying, saying, 'I did not laugh'; for she was afraid."  I love God's answer to her, "No, but you did laugh."  He wasn't going to change His mind and He wasn't going to let her lie to herself. 

We praise You Father for being a God that can ask the absurd, "Is anything too difficult for the LORD?"  You are the God of the impossible.  Thank You for Your gentleness in dealing with our unbelief.  You know how to bring it out in the open so that it can be addressed with Your truth.