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By TONY HOSS

In Jeremiah 32:27 KJV, God asks, “Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there anything too hard for me?” Certainly, this is a good question to ask and an important one to be able to answer. There have been occasions while counseling with people with family problems that I am told “Nothing can save my marriage…he or she will never change.” Or those with family problems may say, “There is nothing that can be done to save my family, my children have gone.” But God, in Jeremiah declares that there is nothing too difficult for Him.
By the time most people begin to seek help they feel that they are already at a point without hope. But in questioning, the Israelites ask if there is anything too hard for Him to accomplish. The Jew of that day would immediately remind themselves of the wonder of God throughout the history of their people. Even today people ask the question. The Christian often gets to the point in life that the question enters their hearts. Some respond with a resounding “NO”! But then they qualify their statement by saying “BUT.” This happens because of the trials that are common to all men. Today I want you to consider why there is nothing too difficult for God to accomplish.
When God states that He can do all things, He supposes that we understand certain things. For example, the question is often asked, can God make a rock so heavy He cannot lift it. There is a fallacy in this question. Regardless of how we answer it we deny the omnipotence of God. The real answer is God would not attempt to do such a thing. To be honest there are things that the Bible reveals God cannot do; for example, God cannot lie. The real question here is not about God’s abilities but rather His almighty nature and omnipotence. These words do not mean that God can do anything He wishes but rather that his ability and power are unlimited. This is proven throughout the Bible. Matthew 19:26 KJV, Jesus said, “… With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.” See also (Job 11:7-11, 37:23; 2 Corinthians 6:18; Revelation 4:8; etc.). In essence God can do whatever is possible; but there are some things impossible. For example the rock scenario I mentioned before or the idea of God lying. These ideas are based on the false premise that God can do what is impossible.
In a practical sense God can do anything possible. We read in Hebrews 6:18, “That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:” James states, “…for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: (James 1:13). Paul in 2 Timothy 2:13 states that “He cannot deny himself.” But with all this said we must understand that His inability to do these things that are against His nature, in no way diminish His omnipotence. In fact, God’s only limitation is His own perfection. It is His perfection that will not allow Him to lie, be tempted by evil, or deny Himself.
But with a better understanding we should now see that no good thing is too difficult for our Lord, and no evil thing is too strong to overpower Him. This is what His true omnipotence consists of. Consider from the Bible good things that God did. He allowed a 90-year-old Sarah to conceive and bear a child of promise (Genesis 18:14 KJV). In Joshua 10:12-13 KJV, we find the account of God’s people led by Joshua as they were facing the Amorites in battle. In this account Joushua had a job to complete, but it was going to be dark before he could finish the task at hand. Therefore, he asked the Lord to make the sun stand still so he could finish the job. Was it a foolish prayer request? I guess that depends on whether one believes that halting the rotation of the earth is too difficult for God. And was it too difficult for Him to overrule all the side effects of this miracle? Then we should consider Jesus. Recall when He entered Bethany only to find that his friend Lazarus had been dead four days. The first thing he hears from both of the grieving sisters is, “Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died” (John 11:21). Jesus does not apologize for being absent when Lazarus was sick, but instead he raised him from the dead, graveclothes and all.
Nothing is too difficult for Deity. There is not a person too wicked for God through His Word to change. If that same wicked man has a desire to change, God can help him make the change needed in his life. God can and will save any sinner who comes to Him in humility. Next, there is no prayer ever offered by a righteous man that God did not answer. Yet some, even Christians, wonder if God answers. The problem is not with God or His lack of ability. It is with men who refuse to see God’s answer is not always a yes. Sometimes it is a no or wait a while. We often pray for the lost and they never come around. It is not that God cannot help but rather that those individuals refuse God’s help on His terms.
God can do anything from liberating men from drug addiction, alcoholism, smoking, lust, to profanity, temper tantrums, pride, and jealousy. But we cannot confuse the will of God with the will of man. God made us free moral agents; this means we can choose between right and wrong without God forcing His will upon us.
Therefore, what is left for man is to choose whether we will seize upon the power of God in the midst of a life of sin or reject Him. Relying upon the ability of God, realizing our own inability to effect changes in our lives encourages us to act on our faith. What is your impossible situation? What is the most difficult thing in life you need God to accomplish for you? Is it too difficult for you to trust in an almighty God? The real weakness lies not in our Father but in our faith.
(Tony Hoss is minister of the Centerview Church of Christ, Elizabethton)