27th October - 2nd November 2025
I was colouring in with some of my grandchildren recently and was trying to teach them how to stay within the lines of a picture on the colouring-in page. They are at that wonderful stage of enjoying colouring for its own sake – bright crayons, eager hands, not too worried about boundaries or neatness, just going for it. Every colour spills freely across the page in what could often be described as some really good ‘scribble art’!
As I gently encouraged them to stay inside the lines, one of them looked up at me and said with all the honesty a child can muster: “That’s too hard, Granda.”
And they were right. For them, it was too hard. They are just learning how to guide their hands, how to see boundaries not as restrictions but as a way of bringing something beautiful to life. I have watched my older grandchildren grow and become proficient in the ability to colour within the lines. They have learned this with a certain amount of patience and practice and lots of mistakes along the way but they do learn to keep the colours within the lines. But for the younger little ones, it’s still a challenge and they are still learning.
As I thought about it later, I realised how often I find myself saying the same thing to God, “That’s too hard.”
There are so many things in life that feel too hard: repairing what’s been broken; climbing life’s physical and emotional mountains; getting up on a dark, wet morning when motivation is low; staying faithful in prayer and reading God’s word when my heart feels weary. I’m sure you could add many more examples to this list.
And then there are the truly heavy things: dealing with conflict and the pain of watching relationships fracture; the grief of loss; the sadness of seeing despair take hold in lives around us. And the confusion of truth and lies in our world – how do we discern the truth in an era of so much fake news? Sometimes the weight of it all presses down and we whisper or even shout, “Lord, this is too hard.”
But into that whisper, God speaks a question through his prophet Jeremiah: “I am the Lord, the God of all the peoples of the world. Is anything too hard for me?” (Jeremiah 32:27)
It’s important to have an understanding of what led to this statement from Jeremiah. The Babylonian army was besieging Jerusalem and the city was surrounded, food and hope were running out and destruction was imminent.
The king (Zedekiah) had imprisoned Jeremiah because he had been proclaiming that Jerusalem would indeed fall to the Babylonians. In this moment of despair, God told Jeremiah to do something strange – to buy a field. It made no sense to buy a field in a country that was about to be conquered. But this was a sign of hope and Jeremiah obeyed and bought the field and prayed, “And yet, O sovereign Lord, you have told me to buy this field, paying good money for it before these witnesses, even though the city will soon be handed over to the Babylonians.” (Jeremiah 32:25)
Jeremiah obeyed God but didn’t really understand why. It just felt too hard to understand in the moment, and this is when God says, ‘Is anything too hard for me’. Though the people of Judah were facing exile and loss, God wanted them to know he was in control and nothing was too hard for him, not judgement, not forgiveness, not even restoration to the land again. With God all things are possible!
This story is worth the time to read (Jeremiah 32) because in it we read these incredible words of hope, ‘Someday people will again own property here in this land and will buy and sell houses and vineyards and fields’ (Jeremiah 32: 15). There is always hope with God, even when our circumstances feel hopeless!
In our own times of confusion or despair, when what God asks for feels impossible or when hope seems lost, this same truth stands, ‘Is anything too hard for God’.
My grandchild may struggle to colour within the lines, but I don’t tell them off because they are struggling. Instead I seek to sit beside them, to be patient with them and to help them learn how to colour within the lines so that it becomes easier and not too hard.
I think God does the same with us. He doesn’t get upset when we find things hard, he comes along side us, to steady us along the way and help us see that even the messy and uneven strokes of life can still become part of his beautiful design and plan for us, as we learn to trust him with all our hearts.
There are things I cannot fix, problems I cannot solve, and burdens I cannot carry alone. But I can trust, more than that, I know that nothing is too hard for the one who holds the whole world, and me, in his hands.
So today, if life feels “too hard”, may we bring it honestly before the Lord. We don’t have to colour perfectly. We just have to stay close to the one who never lets go of the crayon, and who promises to make something beautiful out of our broken lives.
Written by David Mairs
MONDAY
God’s Power in Our Weakness
“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
2 Corinthians 12:9
Heavenly Father, I often want to be strong, capable and in control, yet I find myself weak and weary. Thank you for reminding me that your strength is made perfect in my weakness. I find this comforting but also I struggle with the feeling of weakness. Help me to learn how to rest in your grace today, to stop striving for perfection, or to prove I am in control of my circumstances. I want to be able to trust that you are working in and through me even when I feel incapable of doing anything. Teach me to depend on you, not on my own understanding or strength. May my weakness become the canvas where your glory is revealed to me and to others. Thank you for always being with me, Father. Amen.
TUESDAY
When the Burden Feels Heavy
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
Matthew 11:28–30
Dear Jesus, you invite me to come as I am, tired, discouraged and burdened. Thank you for being gentle with me, always for me and not against me, looking for my good and your glory. I lay before you everything that feels “too hard” for me today. Help me to find rest for my soul in you. We can say these words so easily but actually learning to practice resting in you is hard. Remind me that I am not carrying life alone but that you are always with me. Teach me to walk at your pace and not to run ahead or fall behind. Teach me to trust your timing and not demand my own timing. Help me to find real comfort in your presence. I love you. Amen.
WEDNESDAY
God Restores What Is Broken
“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” Psalm 147:3
Heavenly Father, you see and know all about the broken places in my life; the disappointments, the losses and the hurts that run deep. Thank you that you never turn away from my pain but rather you draw near to it. You are incredible and your love for me is unfailing. Heal what I cannot heal. Mend what feels beyond repair. Help me to use the lessons I am learning in my life as I rely on you. Make me an instrument of your compassion by giving me the opportunity to come alongside others who are hurting and share my experience of your faithfulness to me with them. Amen.
THURSDAY
“He has made everything beautiful in its time.” Ecclesiastes 3:11
Heavenly Father, waiting is hard, we have thought about this recently. I want answers, solutions and resolution right now. Forgive my impatience and help me to wait patiently on you, to trust that your timing is always perfect, even when I cannot see it or wish to wait for it. Teach me what patience, faith and hope in the waiting is really like, help me to learn from you. Remind me that you are making something beautiful, that I am your workmanship and that, even from the unfinished and messy parts of my life, you are changing me into the person you want me to be. Amen.
FRIDAY
Courage in Uncertain Days
“Be strong and courageous… for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
Joshua 1:9
Heavenly Father, when fear, uncertainty and doubt rise up within me, remind me that you are always with me no matter where I find myself. Give me strength not just to endure but to move forward in my faith, learning to add to my faith those characteristics that make me more Christ like. May I face today’s challenges knowing that I do not do so alone. Thank you for being my constant companion, defender and friend. Amen.
SATURDAY
Hope When Life Feels Dark
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him.” Romans 15:13
Heavenly Father, sometimes the world feels so dark: wars, loss, confusion and despair. Remind me that you are the light that no darkness can overcome. Fill me today with a fresh awareness and understanding of your joy and peace as I put my trust in you. Help me to be a bearer of hope to others whether that is by scattering seeds of hope or encouraging another brother or sister who is struggling at present. Let my trust in you grow deeper in my understanding of your love for me and the purpose you have for me each and every day. Amen.
SUNDAY
“Ah, Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you.” Jeremiah 32:17
Sovereign Lord, you created all things and hold them together by the power of your word. When I feel overwhelmed, remind me that nothing, absolutely nothing, is beyond your power and outstretched arm to reach and change. Strengthen my faith to believe that you are always at work even when I cannot see it. Help me to place my life and the lives of those I love into your faithful hands, recognising that although things seem ‘too hard’ for me to resolve, fix, sort out, that nothing, absolutely nothing is too hard for you. Help me to take comfort and to rest in this truth today. Amen.