Verse

Genesis 18:14

ESV Is anything too hard for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son.”
NIV Is anything too hard for the LORD? I will return to you at the appointed time next year, and Sarah will have a son.'
NASB Is anything too difficult for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, at this time next year, and Sarah will have a son.'
CSB Is anything impossible for the Lord? At the appointed time I will come back to you, and in about a year she will have a son."
NLT Is anything too hard for the Lord? I will return about this time next year, and Sarah will have a son.'
KJV Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.

What does Genesis 18:14 mean?

Eavesdropping on a conversation, Sarah hears God, temporarily in human form, predict that she will have a child soon. Given her lifelong barrenness, and the fact that she and her husband were both over 90 years old, her immediate response is to laugh in disbelief.

Gently chiding that reaction, The Lord asks a rhetorical question of Abraham and Sarah, demanding a one-word answer: "no." Anything which power can do, God's power can accomplish. God is calling Sarah and Abraham to believe that He would do a seemingly impossible thing for them.

The Lord's question is one that resonates for every person who struggles to trust God in difficult times. God gives great and precious promises to those who trust in Christ (2 Peter 1:4). Often, it feels quite unlikely that such things as God's empowerment, His comfort, and even eternal life could ever happen for us. Is anything too hard for the Lord?

To emphasize that nothing is too hard for Him, the Lord repeats His promise once more: Sarah will have a son when the Lord visits them at "the appointed time" the following year.
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