In Genesis 18: 1 we read, “The LORD appeared to Abraham near the great trees of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent in the heat of the day. Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby…”

Later a conversation between them goes like this:

“Where is your wife, Sarah?” they asked him.

“There, in the tent,” he said.

Then one of them said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son.”

Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, which was behind him. Abraham and Sarah were already very old, and Sarah was past the age of childbearing. So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, “After I am worn out and my lord is old, will I now have this pleasure?”

Then the LORD said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really have a child, now that I am old?’ Is anything too hard for the LORD? I will return to you at the appointed time next year, and Sarah will have a son.”

Sarah was afraid, so she lied and said, “I did not laugh.”

But he said, “Yes, you did laugh” (Gen 18: 9 – 15).

They say laughter is the best medicine, but Sarah’s response to the Lord in this story is not one of joy or amusement. This is a laugh of disbelief, almost sarcasm, “Oh sure, that at age one hundred, I would enjoy intimacy with my husband, and that things in my very old body might start working again, like they did many moons ago, so that I may bear a child! I’m old enough to be a great, great grandmother!”

What hasn’t hit her yet is that we are talking about Almighty God here. Is anything too hard for the Lord?

I wonder how easily you and I turn to disbelief, even sarcasm.

“Oh right! (some might say) So you expect me to just ‘let go’ and sail along in some bliss-filled imaginary, Christian bubble, forgetting the fact that the money is due tomorrow, and I have zero dollars in my account.”

Is anything too hard for the Lord?

“I have tried all those things you are talking about. They don’t work. Nothing works!”

Is anything too hard for the Lord?

“It’s funny, I used to have faith like you. I prayed all the time. I still believe of course, but in my own way. God helps those who help themselves” Is anything too hard for the Lord?

No, nothing is too hard for the Lord. He can bring new life to a hundred-year-old woman, he can cause that baby to grow and eventually become a father himself. The Lord can form the generations that follow into a bigger and bigger family until they become a nation. He can mould that nation into a people he calls his own and he can birth his own substance as God incarnate, Jesus Christ, His Son right in the heart of that nation and into the middle of history.

And he can cause that Son to do something so unexpected, so profound, so universe changing as to provide salvation and new life through his willing death on the cross and then powerful resurrection from the dead. God can take a hundred-year-old lady and create children for himself so numerous as to be beyond counting.

Is anything too hard for the Lord?

People were bringing little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” And he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them and blessed them (Mark 10: 13 – 16).

We do tend to complicate things, don’t we? I saw a photo recently of some “do-it-yourself” plumbing where a guy had tried to connect a water pipe to his toilet cistern. What should have been a fairly straightforward job turned out like a long, plastic snake with twists and curves in every direction. The caption underneath read, “I only had bends in my truck”.

Like many, I tend to subscribe to the notion that the simplest solution to a situation is probably the best one. In a way, I think Jesus is saying the same thing here. Knowing the Father, receiving the Kingdom of God – well, even a child can do it!

After Jesus had uttered these words, an affluent young man approached him with a question: “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” (Mark 10: 17). The ensuing conversation saw Jesus quickly put his discerning finger on the pulse of the man’s real need: to let go of his dependence on possessions and self-righteousness. You don’t need religious pride or riches to enter the Kingdom of God, it’s much simpler than that.

After the man left, “disheartened”, Jesus’ disciples probably had a ton of questions, but Jesus took the initiative: “How difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” in v 23, and then “Children, how difficult it is to enter the kingdom of God!

It is interesting to note that this is the first time Jesus has called his disciples, “children”. Is he deliberately calling them children to make a point? I think he is, with a touch of irony. In other words, Don’t be like that rich guy, don’t think you can earn your way into God’s kingdom by works, religious deeds, wealth or human importance. It really is much simpler than that. Enter the Kingdom the same way a child enters any relationship: trust, a personal connection. Humility. Unspoken faith in one who offers a loving and safe relationship.

We enter the kingdom by coming to Jesus, knowing that He loves and forgives. We have empty pockets; in that we have no payment or merits to offer but we are drawn to His love. And in the warmth of acceptance and belonging, we are happy to live for Him and do His will.

Now Moses said to Hobab son of Reuel the Midianite, Moses’ father-in-law, “We are setting out for the place about which the LORD said, ‘I will give it to you.’ Come with us and we will treat you well, for the LORD has promised good things to Israel.”

He answered, “No, I will not go; I am going back to my own land and my own people. ”

But Moses said, “Please do not leave us. You know where we should camp in the wilderness, and you can be our eyes. If you come with us, we will share with you whatever good things the LORD gives us” (Numbers 10: 29 – 32)

Years ago, a friend of mine wrote a song for our church, based on this passage, called “Come with us and we will do you good”. I don’t recall the tune or the rest of the lyrics, but I do remember that we sung it most weeks. The basic idea of the song was that as followers of Jesus, we are wonderfully caught up in God’s plans for the world and motivated to share the good news of Christ’s death, resurrection and new life through faith in Him.

We, along with other believers around the world, were excited about our mission, we felt our lives had purpose and we wanted to invite all and anybody around us to join us in that journey.

Come with us. God is with us. There are good things to come, and we want to share them with you.

When Moses’ brother-in-law (that is, Hobab) started to feel the draw to return to his home country, Moses effectively said three things to try to persuade him to stay with him and the travelling Israelites enroute to the Promised Land. First, you will be treated well, “for the Lord has promised good things to Israel”. Moses is not offering an easy life, he knows that the immediate future promises nothing but tough, wilderness living. But he can guarantee the faithfulness of God both now and in the Promised Land ahead.

Second, he effectively says ‘we need you’. We need your eyes and experience to choose the best places to camp on the way. We are not asking you to join us to bolster numbers, we want you to play your unique part with the gifts and abilities the Lord has given you.

And thirdly, Moses promises, that Hobab will share in all the good things that God gives the Israelite community. ‘Come with us, it may not be easy, but God is with us. There is a glorious future ahead and your gifts and abilities will help us to get there. You will share in the joys and blessings the Lord gives to us. Come with us and we will do you good.

When we share our faith with those who don’t yet know Jesus, we are giving the same invitation. Come with us, repent of your sin and ask Jesus to be Lord of your life. The days in front of you may not always be easy, but Jesus promises to never leave you. And we will love and support each other along the way. There is a glorious future ahead, and your gifts and abilities are vital to God’s great purposes. Come and share the joys of a new life in Jesus Christ.

I am sure you have been taught, as I have, that whenever the Bible repeats something, it must be particularly important. Like Paul exhorting the Philippian church to “Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I will say, rejoice” (Philippians 4: 4).

Or… in Isaiah’s vision in chapter 6, he is somehow permitted to see with his own eyes the magnificent splendour of the Lord on His throne. One seraph calls out to another:

“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts;

the whole earth is full of his glory!” (Isaiah 6:3)

Not just one “holy” but three. The Lord is Holy. Holy. Holy. In other words, let that truth be underlined and highlighted, meditated on, etched into our consciousness. Our God is a Holy God.

However, when we reach Psalm 136 and what looks like a history lesson for young Israelite students, we find a phrase being spoken, not twice, not even three times.

Twenty-six times, in fact.

His steadfast love endures forever.

Our psalmist takes us on a sweeping tour of the Pentateuch from Creation to the edge of the Promised Land and at every turn, he is compelled to remind us, “His steadfast love endures forever”.

From the outset we are called to give thanks. Why? For (or because) His steadfast love endures forever. Give thanks “to him who by understanding made the heavens…

for his steadfast love endures forever” (Ps 136:5).

Gives thanks “to him who divided the Red Sea in two,

for his steadfast love endures forever” in verse 13.

“and gave their land as a heritage,

for his steadfast love endures forever in verse 21.

Twenty-six times.

If there was one truth the Lord wanted to impart, branded into the conscience of every Israelite soul, it was that His love is steadfast, unwavering and unchanging. And that this love is not fleeting but continues for all time.

It turns out this is a truth permeating every book of Scripture. Every poem and prophecy, every song and story, every letter and law, over and over and over: His steadfast love endures forever.

It will not fade away. It will not give up. It will not grow weary. The Lord’s steadfast love endures forever.

It radiates with the morning sun and stays close through the darkest night. It keeps the line open for our prayers and forgives us when we fall short of His best. It disciplines us for our good and welcomes us into the Lord’s presence - 24/7. The Lord’s steadfast love endures forever.

We can rely on it, plant our faith in it, stand on it in the battle and rest in it on our beds. The Lord’s steadfast love endures forever.

It is precious beyond price. “Give thanks to the God of heaven, for his steadfast love endures forever” (Ps 136: 26).

A human face can tell us many things. A smile may be warm, encouraging, inviting or conniving. A person’s eyes may look at you, past you, though you or deep into your soul. A face may be menacing or soaked in love. Faces have the ability reveal what lies behind them.

However, God made it clear to Moses that he would not be permitted to see His face.

Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.” And the LORD said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. But” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live” (Ex 33:18-20).

Whether God has an actual physical face is, perhaps, a topic for another conversation, but The Lord has made clear that we will not get to know Him in the same way we might a friend or a spouse: by seeing with eyes and subconsciously noting the others’ expressions. However, we will know Him through other ways He chooses to reveal himself.

So, what is the face of God that we can see? Moses was invited into the presence of God (a few verses earlier), entering a tent marked by a pillar of cloud where, we are told that “The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend” (Ex 33: 11). Assuming the Bible does not contradict itself, what might that mean? Especially as we are exhorted to “seek God’s face”, for example, in Psalm 24.

One explanation may be found in Numbers 12: 8, where The Lord, speaking about Moses, said to Aaron and Miriam: “With him (that is, Moses) I speak face to face, clearly and not in riddles; he sees the form of the LORD.”

And earlier in the book of Numbers we read, “When Moses entered the tent of meeting to speak with the LORD, he heard the voice speaking to him from between the two cherubim above the atonement cover on the ark of the covenant law. In this way the LORD spoke to him” (Numbers 7: 89)

Moses saw the form of The Lord, but got to know Him through what he heard,

Just as there are an infinite number of ways that a message can be sent through facial expressions, so The Lord has no limits as to how He might convey His words and His heart to us through His voice. And, of course, the idea of God’s voice can mean many things.

For some it might be an impression laid on their heart or a nudge on their conscience. It might be a verse of Scripture, silently bringing a new perspective to a personal situation. It might be a peace that came out of nowhere, or a sense that I must keep praying until he says it’s enough.

However the Lord chooses to speak or show himself, the song of Asaph is an ongoing call throughout the ages and down to today: “Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always” (1 Chronicles 16:11).

9How can a young man keep his way pure?

By guarding it according to your word.

10With my whole heart I seek you;

let me not wander from your commandments!

11I have stored up your word in my heart,

that I might not sin against you. (Psalm 119: 9 – 11)

When I was growing up in the UK in the 1970s, I would often hear people talking about keeping something “for a rainy day”. That is, saving money in case it is needed in the future. The rainy day could be any crisis when funds are short. The idiom is still used today

The psalmist in our reading has been asking how he might keep his way pure. How he might live his life with moral integrity. He wouldn’t just be thinking about sexual purity, as important as that is, but other areas of his life too. He would be mindful of his speech and his choice of words, as well as his thoughts and actions, hoping they are good and righteous in the sight of God.

In this short section of an 8-verse stanza, the psalmist let’s us know what he is putting into practice to try and live a life he can be proud of. At first sight it might seem like a human attempt to be Godly. We all know that we cannot overcome sinful tendencies in our lives without the grace of God. It is because of what Christ has done on the cross, that we have hope of “being transformed into His likeness”.

But the psalmist, even though he knows nothing of Jesus (because this was written before Jesus came to Earth), does know that He needs God’s Word. The Lord and His spoken and written word are his hope. So, he will guard his way (that is, think carefully about his decisions) by measuring it against what God has said.

He has committed himself to seeking God. He will not stray from the ideal that The Lord’s commandments must be his number one source of inspiration.

And he has stored up the Word of God in his heart.

What might this mean?

Obviously, memorisation can help. If we read something often enough, we can start to remember it “off by heart”. Learning portions of scripture was a normal part of my diet in the Sunday school of the little village church I grew up in. Perhaps this is a lost practice in today’s world, but well worth recovering if we are to raise a generation strong in the Word of God.

But perhaps the need is more basic than that. Do we even read the Bible regularly? There is something about absorbing Scripture through the eyes, perhaps even speaking it out, and then letting it marinate in my mind and heart, imagining the story, applying it to my world, letting it move me, challenge me, that can only happen as the Holy Spirit engages with our spirits, breathing life, inspiring hope.

I remember Bible verses that speak to my soul, and I can’t forget stories that shock me or hold me accountable.

And all this quietly stores up in the recesses of my mind and heart, for the day when God will bring it to the surface and use it.

13 “If my people would only listen to me,

if Israel would only follow my ways,

14 how quickly I would subdue their enemies

and turn my hand against their foes!

15 Those who hate the LORD would cringe before him,

and their punishment would last forever.

16 But you would be fed with the finest of wheat;

with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.” (Ps 81:13-16)

If only I had listened to God. The decision I made that I knew in my heart-of-hearts was not the Lord’s will. If I had only read God’s Word and sought Godly counsel, things may have turned out differently.

Psalm 81 sounds like it is set in the midst of a national festival, possibly the Feast of Trumpets or the Feast of Tabernacles. The first few verses explode with energy, music and joyful shouts of celebration, commemorating the ancient stories of God’s powerful rescue of a people from slavery in Egypt.

But then a mystery voice cuts the moment. The scene was only a dream, a memory, as if a sleeper has awoken to a harsh reality. Those days are long gone. God did do those things, and the sleeper remembers what the Lord said at the time:

“8 Hear me, my people, and I will warn you—

if you would only listen to me, Israel!

9 You shall have no foreign god among you;

you shall not worship any god other than me” (Ps 81: 8 – 9)

The one rubbing his eyes from sleep hears more from the Lord, spoken years later:

11 “But my people would not listen to me;

Israel would not submit to me.

12 So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts

to follow their own devices” (Ps 81: 11 – 12).

It is a frightening thing for the Lord to give people over to their stubborn hearts, to follow their own devices. The reality of life for the one remembering and writing this psalm is that he and his family, and his nation, are exiles, held captive in a foreign land, a punishment inflicted by the Lord for continuous disobedience and the worship of false gods.

The Lord is a forgiving God, but he never lets us escape from the consequences of our decisions.

Human beings can be stubborn and, if we are honest, that includes you and me. Even as believers, we might sometimes pay more attention to our emotions and the spirit of the age than the Word of God. The mystery voice reveals the heart of our God, “if my people would only listen to me”.

The Lord wanted His people to be fed with the finest of wheat and be satisfied with honey from the rock. Today, He still wants the best for us. Life. Beautiful, purposeful life with an eternal celebration of relationship with the Father through faith in Jesus, within the bounds of His Word and His Ways and under the protective umbrella of the Lordship of Christ.

“If my people would only listen to me”.

“Take delight in the LORD,

and he will give you the desires of your heart.”

“The LORD makes firm the steps

of the one who delights in him” (Psalms 37: 4, 23)

Like much of the sayings in The Book of Proverbs, David has written a psalm contrasting the fate of the wicked with the righteous. In his black and white view of the world (compared to today), the righteous will shine like the dawn, enjoying peace and prosperity, while the wicked, though temporarily successful in their schemes, will eventually lose their power and perish (or “go up in smoke” v 20).

One of his reasons for composing the psalm is simply to say, “do not fret” (he says it 3 times). Do not be overly anxious when bad people continue to be bad people – God will hold them accountable.

Life, is of course, more complicated than that and God’s people are called to respond actively, not passively, to injustice in the world, the needs of the poor and destructive ripples that can flow from compromised leaders and flawed human beings.

But for those who seek to honour God with their lives, David’s psalm is timeless. Trust in the Lord; commit your way to Him; be patient. David then ends his psalm with a promise:

“The salvation of the righteous comes from the LORD;

he is their stronghold in time of trouble.

The LORD helps them and delivers them;

he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,

because they take refuge in him” Ps 37: 39 – 40.

How might we take refuge in the Lord? One way is by delighting in Him.

The Westminster catechism tells us that “Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever”. We exist to worship Him – yes! To give glory and honour to Him – absolutely! But to enjoy Him too. To delight in Him. God wants us to find joy in Him.

When we stop and find space in the day to shut out our worries and stresses, we might reflect on how much the Lord has done for us. How He has changed us, transformed us from the person we once were. We can marvel at the fact that He includes us in His plans, even though we don’t deserve it. We can remember specific times of encouragement, a word that spoke to us or a remarkable answer to prayer.

We can be grateful for what we have. Material things. Money, the ability to earn money but more importantly, people. Those the Lord has brought into our lives and made precious to us. And the relationship with have with Him – our Father in heaven. Always present, always sovereign, always patient. Always kind.

So much to enjoy. And we haven’t even started to talk about the wonder of His creation, which we can delight in as we walk through that park or along that beach, side-by-side with the One who made it.

The promises of David's psalm are “firm steps” and the desires of our heart for those who delight in the Lord.

To be honest, I think to have a heart that daily delights in our maker is reward enough, but it is comforting to know that while we are simply enjoying Him, He is quietly planning good steps ahead for us.