PROMISES, PROMISES

 

Isaiah 38:7 (NIV)
This is the LORD's sign to you that the LORD will do what he has promised:

               We have all made promises that we failed to keep. We have all had promises given to us that were not fulfilled. It is easy for us to become skeptical about promises in general. It doesn’t take many times being disappointed to start not believing people’s promises. It is not a very large step to not trusting God’s promises.

               There are many promises made by God in the Bible. Some of these promises are very specific to specific people. Some of these are more general to all believers. We can grab ahold of these promises and expect certain things from God. If our expectations are not met, we can begin to doubt God’s trustworthiness.

               Most of God’s promises are conditional. They depend upon our response to God and to what God has asked us to do. If we fail on our side of the equation, we invalidate the promise. God’s promises are not blank checks that we can cash in whenever we want to. But if we do our part, we can be assured that God will be faithful to what he has promised.

               We tend to grab ahold of the promises that seem to offer us the most immediate benefit. We expect God to protect us, prosper us, and heal us. Although these are promised by God, they are all qualified by what God’s will is in any particular circumstance.

               God is the great healer, but he has not promised to heal every sickness that we encounter. God has promised to provide for us, but it may not be in the ways that we expect. God has promised to protect us, but that doesn’t mean that he will shield us from all hardship or difficulty. When we make God’s promises black and white, we set up false expectations that will always disappoint us.

               When we submit our expectations to God’s will, we can experience the fulfillment of his promises in our life.

               Here are just a few promises that we can hang upon no matter what the circumstances of life may be.

               God will forgive our sins.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9 (NIV) Notice the condition of this promise; if we confess. We have a part to play, but we can be assured that when we come to God in genuine repentance, he will forgive us.

               God will give us peace.                                                                                                                                    Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. John 14:27 (NIV) This is a promise directly from Jesus. The peace that he promises us is not the temporary peace that the world offers. It is a lasting peace that reside deep within our soul and will stabilize us even in the most difficult situations.

                              God will lead us through life’s journey.
 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV) Here we have another conditional promise. If we will put our faith and trust in the Lord he will guide our life. It is a matter of trusting that God knows what is best for us and then taking the path set before us.

               God will never leave us.
Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." Hebrews 13:5 (NIV) The promise of God’s abiding presence is throughout the Bible. Psalm 139 tells us that there is nowhere we can go where we will be separated from God’s presence. Romans 8:35-39 assures us that there is nothing that can separate us from the love of Christ. We may be abandoned by other people, but never by God. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. Matthew 28:20 (NIV)

               God will always answer our prayers.
This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us--whatever we ask--we know that we have what we asked of him. 1 John 5:14-15 (NIV) Notice again that this is a conditional promise, not a blank check. If we ask according to God’s will it will be done. Jesus invited us to boldly bring our requests to God. We have to trust him with the answer that he gives to us. When Paul prayed to be healed from his thorn in the flesh, God offered him something better, his grace to endure.

               God will give us eternal life.
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 (NIV) This is another conditional promise. It is for all who believe in Jesus. The promise is that God will place his very life within us. Eternal life is not just living forever. It is living in the power and life of God.

               God will give us his Holy Spirit to dwell within us.
And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession--to the praise of his glory. Ephesians 1:13-14 (NIV) One of the greatest gifts that God gives to those who believe in Jesus is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. When a person puts their faith in Jesus, the Holy Spirit takes up residence in their life. He becomes their companion, teacher, guide, and confidant.

               There is an old hymn titled Standing on the Promises. It invites us to consciously and intentionally take our stand of the promises of God. The promises that other people make may or may not be fulfilled, but we can be sure that whatever God has promised He will fulfill. In these unsettling times, there is a solid foundation upon which we can stand. It is the promises of God.

Hebrews 10:23 (NIV)
Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.