Genesis 18: 1–15, Matthew 9: 35 – 10: 8

By Grace Hunting LLM

Have you ever waited so long for something that you stopped believing it would ever happen? Perhaps it was a prayer that seemed unanswered, a dream that never materialised, a healing that never came, or a promise that appeared impossible. You know what God’s Word says. You know His promises. Yet what you see with your eyes seems to point in the opposite direction. Many of us know what it feels like to live in that tension between God’s promises and our circumstances. We believe God is faithful, yet we struggle when the waiting becomes long and the answers seem delayed. That is exactly where Abraham and Sarah find themselves in our reading from Genesis.

For many years God had promised Abraham that he would become a great nation. He had promised descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and declared that through his offspring all nations of the earth would be blessed. Yet there was one obvious problem. Abraham was nearly one hundred years old and Sarah was ninety. Decades had passed since God first spoke those promises. Time had marched on. Their bodies had aged. Their hopes had been tested. Humanly speaking, the promise now seemed impossible. And into that situation God comes with a question that echoes through the ages: ‘Is anything too hard for the Lord?’ That is the question before us this morning.

Our Gospel reading carries the same message. Jesus looks at the crowds and sees people who are ‘harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.’ His heart is moved with compassion. Then He does something surprising. He sends His disciples out to serve the people. ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.’ The disciples were ordinary men with weaknesses, fears, and limited understanding. Yet Jesus entrusted them with His mission. He gave them authority to proclaim the kingdom, heal the sick, and bring hope to those who were suffering. Both readings ask the same question: What happens when God’s promises meet human impossibilities? Sarah laughs because the promise seems impossible. The disciples are sent on a mission that seems beyond their abilities. Yet God has never been limited by what human beings consider impossible.

In Genesis 18, Abraham is resting during the hottest part of the day when he looks up and sees three visitors standing nearby. Immediately he runs to meet them. He bows before them. He offers water for their feet, rest beneath the tree, and food for refreshment. Everything in the passage conveys eagerness, generosity, and honour. What makes this remarkable is that Abraham was already a wealthy and influential man. He had servants who could have done everything for him. Yet Abraham personally welcomes the visitors, prepares for them, and stands nearby while they eat, ready to serve their needs. His actions teach us something important about hospitality.

Hospitality is more than providing food or a place to stay. It is caring for another person’s needs. It may involve a meal, a listening ear, encouragement, or simply making someone feel valued and welcome. Abraham’s example reminds us that hospitality is one of the practical ways believers reflect God’s love to others. It is not merely a social courtesy; it is an act of faith and service.

After the meal, the conversation moves to the true purpose of the visit. The visitors ask, ‘Where is your wife Sarah?’ The focus suddenly shifts to the promise. God has not forgotten. God has not changed His mind. God has come to remind Abraham and Sarah that the promise is about to be fulfilled. Over the years God had clarified that promise. Abraham once assumed that his servant Eliezer would be his heir, but God said no. Later he hoped that Ishmael, the son born through Hagar, would fulfil the covenant, but again God said no. The promised son would come through Abraham and Sarah.

Now, after years of waiting, God declares that within a year Sarah will have a son. Sarah overhears the conversation and laughs. It is not a laugh of joy. It is a laugh of disbelief. Humanly speaking, her reaction is understandable. She is far beyond childbearing age. She has lived with the pain of barrenness and years of disappointment. After waiting so long, she can no longer imagine the promise coming true. Sarah’s laughter reveals a struggle that can exist in all our hearts. We often measure God’s promises by our circumstances instead of measuring our circumstances by God’s promises.

Many of us know that feeling. We face situations that seem beyond repair. We pray and wait, yet nothing appears to change. Slowly doubt begins to replace expectation. Yet despite Sarah’s disbelief, God does not abandon her. The promise remains because God’s faithfulness is greater than human weakness.

The Lord responds with a question: ‘Is anything too hard for the Lord?’ The answer is no. Nothing is beyond God’s power. Nothing is beyond God’s grace. He knows the pain Abraham and Sarah have carried. He knows their disappointment. He knows every burden they bear, just as He knows every burden we carry today. God’s timing is not always our timing, but His timing is always right. Centuries later another impossible promise would be announced. The angel Gabriel appeared to Mary and declared that she would bear a son. Once again human logic said it could not happen. Once again God demonstrated that what is impossible for people is possible with Him. The God who gave life to Sarah’s barren womb is the same God who enabled a virgin to conceive. Both miracles point us ultimately to Jesus Christ.

The promised son born to Sarah became part of God’s unfolding plan of salvation. Through generations that promise led to the birth of Christ, the Saviour of the world. And the God who gave life where there was barrenness is also the God who raised Jesus from the dead. The empty tomb stands as the ultimate answer to the question, ‘Is anything too hard for the Lord?’ If God can bring life from a barren womb and raise His Son from the grave, then He can fulfil His promises, transform lives, and accomplish His purposes in ways we cannot yet imagine.

This brings us back to the Gospel reading. Jesus looked upon the crowds with compassion. He saw people who were lost, weary, and searching for hope. Then He turned to His disciples and entrusted them with His mission. Not because they were perfect, but because they were willing. God has never depended on perfect people to accomplish His work. If He did, none of us would ever be called. Instead, He works through ordinary people who make themselves available to Him. Abraham and Sarah were elderly and struggling to believe, yet they became part of God’s promise. The disciples were inexperienced and uncertain, yet they became instruments of God’s grace. The same God still calls people today. Perhaps there is a promise you have stopped believing. Perhaps there is a situation that seems beyond hope. Perhaps there is a calling God has placed before you that feels larger than your abilities. Hear again the question God asked Sarah: ‘Is anything too hard for the Lord?’

Genesis answers, ‘No.’ Matthew answers, ‘No.’ And the cross and the empty tomb answer, ‘No.’ Therefore, let us trust God’s promises even when we cannot yet see their fulfilment. Let us serve others with Abraham’s hospitality and respond to Christ’s call with the willingness of the disciples. The harvest is still plentiful. The Lord is still at work. And the God of the impossible is still among His people.

We may not solve every problem or heal every wound, but we can offer kindness, encouragement, prayer, forgiveness, and compassion. Simple acts of love can become powerful witnesses to the presence of God. May we go forward with faith rather than fear, hope rather than despair, and compassion rather than indifference, trusting that nothing is too hard for the Lord.

Amen