October, 2000 "Promises, Promises"

October 2000 "Promises, Promises"

"Promises, promises! I'll believe it when I see it."

Does that sound like something you have said in the past to someone who never seems to follow through on their promises? Even though this makes us discouraged and perhaps frustrated with the person, somehow we keep on hoping and trying to believe for another day. After all they are only human, right?

Have you ever had the courage to think or say that to God? That's kind of a scary place to be, but God knows our hearts and wants us to be honest with Him in all of our concerns and issues so He can help us deal with them.

I have just recently found myself face to face with God and just such thoughts and questions. Let me share -

It all started with a birthday card….

I am a very organized person and so at the beginning of every month I usually go out and buy birthday cards for all the friends and family for that month. I bought a beautiful card for a friend and asked the Lord for a verse of scripture for her. I was going to mail it, but instead held onto it to give to her at a birthday lunch I had planned as a treat. Almost a month went by between the purchase and the giving of the card. When she opened it I was truly overwhelmed at how much I needed to hear the message for myself.

The card was covered with beautiful glittering rainbows, birds singing, flowers and plants, the sun shining, and the heading of each verse began "God's promises…" "God's promises…" "God's promises…" What really struck me was the scripture I had included. It was Psalm 145:13, "The Lord is faithful to all His promises and loving toward all He has made."

Well, I had just spent the last month reminding God of all His promises regarding a family member and how it didn't seem that He was fulfilling them. I said, "Lord, where is the fulfillment of these promises that you have made me throughout the years?" I am sure many of you have offered the same questions to God concerning your lives as well. Let me share with you the journey I went on through the scriptures to come to a place of peace once again. I pray that you arrive at a deeper place of trust in God as well.

God is not a man that He would lie. As a matter of fact it is impossible for Him to lie. (Hebrews 6:18; Numbers 23:19) What He promised He is able to perform and is faithful to fulfill. (Hebrews 12:23) I was reminded that I was putting God in a box to perform His promises in my way and in my timing. Isaiah 55:8-11 says that if God has said it, He will perform it - but that His ways and thoughts are higher than mine. So even in the midst of God performing His word, I may not see it happening yet - or I may not recognize that it is happening because it is very different than what I expected.

If God is the covenant/promise maker, keeper and fulfiller and I am not seeing things come to pass, then one question I need to ask is, "Was the promise conditional and am I or have I fulfilled the conditions?"

That can be a hard question to ask ourselves, but we must take a look inwardly in order to be settled outwardly. In Chapter 6, verse 12, the writer of Hebrews says that we are to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised. Maybe it is the patience part we fall down on. Rick Joyner of www.morningstarministries.org asks "Isn't it strange that we have this huge 'faith movement,' but have you ever heard of a 'patience movement?'" Last month I wrote about life having desert or wilderness experiences. We talked about the necessity of going through those in order to get to the promise. This becomes a testing of our faith - Do I really believe? Do I really trust God?

At this point in my wrestling with God, I began to see that it really wasn't about me anymore and my promise and my way. The Lord began expanding my vision again to think about Him and His will and to take the focus off of the temporal issues and redirect my viewpoint to the eternal issues of life.

Some of you may be saying right now, "What about me? I don't feel like God has ever even promised me anything." Well, I would say to you that He has. It is written in the Bible. That is His promise book to you, full of hope and help and peace and salvation and the Love of God. These are the eternal promises of God to all people. I was reminded from 2 Corinthians 4:17-18, "For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."

All of the promises of God are yes and amen in Jesus. (2 Corinthians 1:20-22) Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith. (Hebrews 12:2) And the ultimate promise is the promise of eternal life to those who believe on His name. Eternal life is knowing Jesus and He has said "I will never leave you, nor forsake you." (Acts 16:31; John 17:3; 1 John 2:25)

He promises that anyone who trusts in Him will never be put to shame. If we confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in our heart that God raised Him from the dead, we will be saved. For it is with our heart that we believe and are justified, and it is with our mouth that we confess and are saved. (Romans 10:9-11)

I don't know about you, but I am believing that God can save me from eternal death and separation from Him. So in light of that, I am trusting God for everything right now. He knew of my situation from the beginning of time just as He promised life from before the beginning of time. (Titus 1:2) That's good enough for me. I know He is willing and able!!!

"To Him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy - to the only God, our Savior, be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen! (Jude 24-25)

Please pray this prayer with me right now.

"Lord, thanks for the promises you have given me in my life. You do care about everything - great and small. I give these back to You now and ask You to have Your way. I yield to Your timing and Your plan.

"Even if it hurts, is hard or doesn't make sense, I want You to be in charge. Give me patience to mix with my faith so that I can persevere and see the fulfillment of all of Your promises.

"I know that you are concerned with the eternal issues…the salvation of my soul, the changing of my character into the image of Christ, and building in me Your capacity to love You and others with Your love.

"Yes, Lord, You are a covenant keeping God - a promise maker and keeper and I can trust You with my life, my finances, my loved ones. I give You permission to be Savior, Lord, and King of my life. Amen."

Promises, Promises - Oh The Glorious Promises of God!

Love, Patty

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