“Is anything too wonderful for God?”

“Is anything too wonderful for God?” is one of the simplest yet most powerful passages in Scripture and distills our faith down to its essence: do we believe that the Creator who established the heavens, the earth, and all that is on it can work wonders in the world? If we answer “yes,” then we are on to something if no, then where are we headed? Amidst all that is going on in the world, I am not sure that I could face any of it, if I did not have a basic trust in God’s goodness. Yet, if I am honest, there are times when I struggle to trust God’s presence in the world or to work in me something useful, something good. The world is on fire with protest, the reality of systematic racism, and a desire among many to see positive, lasting change. Do we trust that God, if we are faithful in our listening to each other, can bring about the changes in us that we would hope for and like to see?

We have four high school seniors and a few graduates at other levels, too. I hope that they might reflect, in the midst of indecision, heartbreak, not knowing what the “right” thing to do is, on the story of Abraham and his wife Sarah (Genesis), and how they had a baby in their older age as a sign of God’s blessing. God did something wonderful in them, partly because they tried to be faithful to the reality that God would be faithful to them, as God is to us. “Is anything too wonderful for God?” The answer, in my experience, is no, all things are possible through the God who loves us in Jesus Christ. We will have failures, we will hurt each other, we are going to make mistakes (big and small) and not fulfill some goals. But, if we (if you) trust in the enduring goodness of God, wonderful things will happen in your life, too. Trusting in God’s promise does not keep us from harm or make all things perfect but it does mean that we are living a life of promise and hope…this alone will bring you joy, purpose, and a pathway forward, always.