Nothing is too Hard for You!
Jerimiah 32: 17 Ah Lord God! It is you who made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you.[1]
Yesterday, Denise and I watched baby turtles scramble to the ocean from a beach in Trinidad. The night before, they were birthed by 800 plus pound mother “Leatherback turtles.” The mother turtles may swim as far away as Canada, but make their way back to this same beach in Trinidad to deliver their babies in eggs. After the eggs are hatched, the baby turtles race for safety in the ocean in the fight for their lives from predator birds and other animals.
As I watched the baby turtles race to the ocean I thought to myself what a wonderful creation the good Lord has made. Just as the little turtles have a circle of life – so do you and I. We live, we die, we move on with life. From the tiny little baby turtles come eight hundred pound adult turtles. The male turtles are even larger than the female turtles. The female turtles take turns mating with multiple partners until they are ready to swim ashore to deliver the eggs that contain the seed of life. The Prophet Jeremiah has a wonderful way of lifting up the mystical amazing creation God has made:
Jeremiah 32: 17 Ah Lord God! It is you who made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you.[2]
Late last night we returned to the beach to watch one of the giant mother turtles deliver and cover her eggs in a pit of sand. I could not take pictures of the birthing process because flash photography was not allowed and we were in the pitch black of night.
Jeremiah 32: 17 Ah Lord God! It is you who made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you. 18 You show steadfast love to the thousandth generation, but repay the guilt of parents into the laps of their children after them, O great and mighty God whose name is the Lord of hosts, 19 great in counsel and mighty in deed; whose eyes are open to all the ways of mortals, rewarding all according to their ways and according to the fruit of their doings. 20 You showed signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, and to this day in Israel and among all humankind, and have made yourself a name that continues to this very day. 21 You brought your people Israel out of the land of Egypt with signs and wonders, with a strong hand and outstretched arm, and with great terror; 22 and you gave them this land, which you swore to their ancestors to give them, a land flowing with milk and honey; 23 and they entered and took possession of it. But they did not obey your voice or follow your law; of all you commanded them to do, they did nothing. Therefore you have made all these disasters come upon them. 24 See, the siege ramps have been cast up against the city to take it, and the city, faced with sword, famine, and pestilence, has been given into the hands of the Chaldeans who are fighting against it. What you spoke has happened, as you yourself can see. 25 Yet you, O Lord God, have said to me, “Buy the field for money and get witnesses”—though the city has been given into the hands of the Chaldeans. [3]
The part of this passage that speaks to me today is the verse when Jeremiah says, “Nothing is too hard for you…” (vs. 17) Often, in life we think that something is not only too hard for us, but too hard for God. Cancer can seem too hard. Unemployment can feel like it is too hard. Raising children with unique issues and challenges can seem too hard, but with God, nothing is too hard. Sarah goes back and forth with the angel of the Lord about whether or not she was too old to have a child, but listen to the response of the angel: Genesis: 14 Is anything too wonderful for the Lord? At the set time I will return to you, in due season, and Sarah shall have a son.” 15[4]
My encouragement to you is simply this: no matter the challenge, in spite of the mountain you face, nothing is too hard for God! Nothing is too difficult for you to overcome! Regardless if it is a lack of funds, lack of love, lack of resources to do what you think you must do, nothing is too hard for the Lord to make things happen in your life!
Questions for Reflection:
- When have you felt that something was impossible for even God to overcome in your life?
- Think of an example when you thought something was impossible, but God made a way for you?
Prayer:
Lord, remind me that with you nothing is too hard and nothing is impossible. Grant me the courage to dream, the tenacity to push, and the love to embrace. Lord, grant me a believing spirit, a tender heart, and a faith that can remove mountains. Through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior I pray. Amen.
Written by Rev. Dr. Nicholas Hood III
Photo of the turtles racing to the sea by Rev. Dr. Nicholas Hood III
Additional Prayers Photos and Meditations from Rev. Dr. Nicholas Hood III at https://nicholashoodiiiministries.wordpress.com/
Publications by Rev. Dr. Nicholas Hood III: “The Test, The Strength, The Endurance and the Way Out” and “An African American Passover Celebration” are available at:
www.nicholashoodiiiministries.org
[1] The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version. (1989). (Je 32:17). Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers.
[2] The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version. (1989). (Je 32:17). Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers.
[3] The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version. (1989). (Je 32:17–25). Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers.
[4] The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version. (1989). (Ge 18:14–15). Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers.
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