March 27

Is anything too difficult for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you—in about a year—and Sarah will have a son. — Gen 18:14 BSB

The Lord will make us understand that, although His arm is not shortened that it cannot save, nor His ear heavy that it cannot hear, yet He is to be sought after and enquired of. He is indeed a God who works wonders—apparent impossibilities mean nothing to Him. He needs only to speak, and it is done. But He will make us know His power by making us feel our own weakness. Often, He will seem distant, and for long periods, so that we might come to truly value His presence. He will let us sink very low so that He might lift us very high. He will allow us to taste the bitterness of sin—the gall and wormwood—so that we may better know the sweetness of manifested pardon. Before we can fully see ourselves washed in His blood and clothed in His righteousness, standing before Him without spot or wrinkle, He will teach us to loathe ourselves for our abominations.

In one sense, the Lord is easy to approach at His throne of grace, but in another sense, He can be very hard to reach. He invites His people to come and spread their needs before Him and encourages them with countless promises. He asks, "Is anything too hard for the Lord?" Yet, He will make us place a proper value on His visitations; they will not come too easily or too frequently, lest we hold them cheaply. It is not always a matter of “ask and have” immediately. We must learn what sin cost our Redeemer, understand the holiness and majesty of God, and recognize that though grace abounds, it must be sought with many struggles, cries, sighs, and fervent petitions. Though Christ invites us to come and take the water of life freely, it is surrounded by many obstacles that seem to push us back.

Through these experiences, the Lord teaches us to value His grace, His presence, and the words He speaks to us. These blessings cost the Redeemer the deepest agonies of body and soul, suffering beyond what any finite mind can grasp. Therefore, these blessings are not given lightly; we must be taught to understand the channel through which they came and the immense cost to the blessed Son of God, who gives out of His fullness the grace that enriches our souls.