“Is anything too hard for the Lord? I will return to you at the appointed time next year and Sarah will have a son.”
The obvious answer to the question, “Is anything too hard for the Lord” is no. But do we really believe this? Can we honestly say with absolute certainty that this is our position? If I’m truly honest, sometimes I find myself being like Sarah and having some disbelief.
He (the Lord) answered, “For the sake of ten I will not destroy it.” I have often wondered why Abraham stopped at ten righteous people? In my Bible, there was some insight into a possibility of Abraham’s logic: “Perhaps Abraham stopped at ten because he was counting while praying: Lot, his wife, possibly two sons, at least two married daughters and their husbands, and two unmarried daughters.” And voila, this adds up to ten people. God knew of Abraham’s compassion for his relatives, and this would have acted as reassurance for Abraham in knowing God’s ways with Sodom.
It would have been interesting to actually see Sarah’s reaction after being caught in her lie. It’s more fun to read of other people’s mistakes than my own! (Even though I can relate) But perhaps this was also to act as a reminder to Sarah and Abraham that God is all knowing, and that nothing in God’s will, including creation and redemption, is impossible.
Lock Your Wings 
I also wondered why Abraham would stop at ten people, so thanks for sharing your findings on that!
It also occurred to me of how patient God was with Abraham. God knew that Abraham would keep asking until he reached ten people, but God allowed Abraham to ask him all of those times in between. To me, this sounds similar to a conversation that a child may have with his father. In this case, God (the Father) does not rush Abraham, but allows him to speak and think at his own pace. I think this shows me that patience is key in child rearing.
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Yes, patience in general. Even dealing with people as they age, more patience is required.
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The exact verse you opened with stood outto me too: “Is anything too hard for the Lord? I will return about this time next year, and Sarah will have a son.””
Genesis 18:14 NLT
The impossible always seems impossible until it’s done. Sometimes only when we look back do we see God’s hand and His faithfulness.
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“So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah. ‘Quick’ he said, ‘get three seahs of the finest flour and knead it and bake some bread.’ Then he ran ran to the herd and selected a choice, tender calf and gave it to a servant, who hurried to prepare it.” Genesis 1 8:6-7 NIV
What I found interesting on this was that this was their way of whipping up a quick meal for the three men. This involved a lot of work and quick responses by all involved; Abraham, Sarah, and the servant. In addition to a speedy response, providing their best was also mentioned; the finest of flour and a choice, tender calf to prepare.
A good reminder to be quick in our efforts to serve the Lord, and at the same time, not presenting Him with sub-par effort or material.
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