I have made promises to assure, give hope, and encourage. With good intentions I promised to take a specific action sometime in the future. Yet I didn’t know the future. I may sincerely intend to do something and then not be able to fulfill my commitment.
I remember the disappointment and betrayal as a child of having a friend tell me they didn't have to keep their promise because they had their fingers crossed when they said it. Now I feel disappointment when I am the one who fails to follow through on my word.
We can know for ourselves that God's promises are guaranteed by studying the history of the people of Israel.
After the Israelites have entered the Promised Land, Joshua calls together all of the tribes. He goes through the history of God’s promises and God's faithfulness starting with Abraham all the way to the deliverance of Israel from Egypt. God had proven Himself again and again in every generation by keeping His promises. Joshua then says these words:
If
you decide that it’s a bad thing to worship God,
then
choose a god you’d rather serve—
and
do it today.
Choose
one of the gods your ancestors worshiped
from
the country beyond The River,
or
one of the gods of the Amorites,
on
whose land you’re now living.
As
for me and my family,
we’ll
worship God.
Joshua
24:15 MSG
No matter what we are facing, we can trust God to fulfill His promises because it is impossible for God to lie (see Hebrews 6:13-20). This truth, that He cannot lie, is our ultimate promise. It means we can hold onto His promises when everything around us is in chaos. He truly is an anchor of hope for our souls. We can stand on God's Word and develop a lifestyle of trust and patience.
In 1834, Edward Mote wrote a hymn that beautifully describes what it can be like for us if we choose to trust God's promises:
The
Solid Rock
My
hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand,
All other ground is sinking sand.
Written by Sandy Schott
To hear this song performed by 4Him, click here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kC-UyIgoaLU
In all the pain of life we know that we can depend on and trust God to always be truthful. What a relief that is.
ReplyDeleteGod bless...
"For no word from God will ever fail."
DeleteLuke 1:37
13 When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself, 14 saying, “I will surely bless you and give you many descendants.”[a] 15 And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised.
Delete16 People swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument. 17 Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. 18 God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged. 19 We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, 20 where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.
Hebrews 6:13-20