"I Promise"

Promises--what are they?

According to the dictionary, a promise is a "declaration or assurance that one will do a particular thing or that a particular thing will happen."

Yet who really believes anyone anymore? Yes, maybe we hope they are telling the truth and that we can rely on them, but we probably seriously doubt any promises that people make to us. When you hear the saying "they have some promise," it means that there is hope that this person will be reliable or prove trustworthy. But that's all it is--a hope.

Because broken promises are all this world is full of these days, it seems. And if we were really honest and serious with ourselves, there is probably one or two we've broken ourselves.

But the big ones--the ones we make to God, for example--those we should keep.

Right?

Yet it seems like many people don't do that either now. They promise before God to love their spouse through better or worse...and they don't. They promise to drop the alcohol or the drugs...and they don't. They promise to make healthier choices so that they will be here someday for their grandkids...and they don't.

This seems to be human nature, doesn't it? I know I see elements of those things in my own nature. Perhaps I've never made those specific promises, but I've made some of my own. Some I've kept with vigor. Others maybe I've slipped a little bit.

All I can say is, thank God that we are not God. And thank God that He ALWAYS keeps His promises. Why does He do that? Because He cannot help Himself. His nature is inherently good and honest. He is perfect. And He cannot do anything that is contrary to His nature.

So when He makes a promise...it is virtually guaranteed.

This morning, when I woke up, my daily Bible verse on my email was "In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began..." It was another reminder to me that God cannot lie. So He must keep His promises. It also was a cool "God wink" since this was the topic for this week.

For a long time, I walked in my faith without thinking much about God's promises. And that's not a bad thing--I just didn't know the power and significance behind them.

"His faithful promises are your armor and protection." ~ Psalm 91:4

Wow! His faithful promises are my armor and protection? That's pretty amazing! But what does this mean?

I think it means that, when you know He's promised something to you, believe it. Nothing this world throws at you is going to stop His promise from coming true. And that's where we find security in His promise.

Even when God asked Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, Abraham knew (as the New Testament points out in Hebrews) that God would raise Isaac from the dead if necessary. Abraham KNEW that God would fulfill His promise to him. I think that God may have been testing Abraham's confidence and belief in His promise. And Abraham passed that test with faith and trust in his God, knowing His character could not and would not fail him. I doubt that I would do so well as Abraham.

But I have my own set of promises to believe in with gritty determination. This quote, below, has helped me a lot these past several months.

"May you find a moment of peace and quiet tonight to thank God for all this right in your world. May you have the presence of mind to release your cares and worries to Him. May you have the gritty faith to grab a firmer grip on His promises to you. And may you wake up in the morning knowing that you've gained ground even during your sleeping hours because God is always moving on your behalf. As you entrust your whole self to Him today, He'll get you where you need to go tomorrow. Sleep well tonight." ~ Susie Larson

I love the idea of gritty faith. I think of grit and determination like in the old westerns--the idea of never backing down and with steely guts, doing what you have to do to defeat the enemy, get the girl, or prevent the train from being robbed...just think John Wayne.

All I know is, there are days where I have to hold onto my promises from God with gritty faith. And sometimes, I hold on for dear life.

But I trust God that He will fulfill His promises to me. And will for you too. He cannot not fulfill His promise. So, if you know that you have some from Him, hold on with expectation. And if you are unsure about His promises, start writing down the ones that you know that you have in the Bible--like His salvation. And start praying for Him to speak into situations of your life. Ask for His assurances and hope. And if you don't hear right away, keep praying. Keep asking. Keep drawing nearer to God.

He will draw near to you and speak His promises to your heart. I promise.