It’s fascinating to examine the Scriptures and unwrap God’s promises to us. God’s love and perfect will are at the core of each and every promise. Of course, the sureness of any promise can only be measured by the one making it. As mortal beings we, despite our best intentions, do not always keep our word. Somewhere along the path from here to glory we fail, even if it’s just showing up late for an appointment. Or, how many times have you made a resolution, even to God, that you found yourself unable to keep? God, though, is consistently faithful, but our humanity often limits or distorts our faith in our heavenly Father’s Word because we aren’t accustomed to consistent love, unchanging truth, unending grace, or reliable promises. Let’s explore God’s Word and examine His promises.
First, according to 2 Peter 1:4, these promises are “exceedingly great and precious”. For something to be great and precious is spectacular, but for it to exceed that is beyond understanding! And – let’s get this fully settled in our spirits – God has given these promises to believers. Secondly, all of God’s promises in Jesus “are yes, and in Him amen” – that is, “so be it”. They are affirmed and confirmed through Christ. They are completed in Christ, and we are complete in Him as well.
Hebrews 10:23 states that “He who promised is faithful.” That’s good news! God never goes back on His word. It is absolutely true and unchanging. We can depend upon His Word and rely upon its complete validity. But we are to receive God’s promises “through faith and patience”. This is how God has set up His Kingdom. His promises are not earned, merited, or purchased. They are offered to whosoever believes. There is tremendous potential to the person who trusts God’s promises, for a mustard seed of faith will move a mountain.
It’s not ‘spiritual’ feelings that God demands or strong emotions which He desires from us, but faith in His Word. The Lord wants to remove every ‘mountain’ that hinders us from serving Him. We must get to the point where we consistently declare that Scripture is God’s truth, and any deviation from that truth is not even to be consulted or considered.
God has given to His Church many great promises. For example, He promises to supply all our needs “according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” What is it you need (not lust after) today? Forgiveness? Companionship? Salvation for a loved one? Deliverance from some particular phobia? Do not doubt God’s promises. Do all that God requires of you and rest in His sure Word. Remember, He is faithful who has promised!
Abraham was given a promise that indeed seemed impossible. I can imagine him saying, ‘Lord, do you really mean that Sarah and I will have a child? At our age? Come on now, Lord; let’s be practical. We sleep in separate beds.’ Can’t you just picture yourself in Abraham’s sandals? You’re 100 years old and your wife is 90, and the Lord states He will give you a son. Yet, Abraham’s faith in God was not dependent on his own abilities. Oh yes, when he tried to bring about God’s promise by his own understanding, he produced Ishmael. The Israeli-Arab conflict today is partly the outcome of his effort to produce God’s result.
Although Abraham’s faith was imperfect, it rested in God’s ability to perform what He said. He did not stagger at God’s promises, but was strong in faith, giving glory to God. Many of us today are faced with seemingly impossible situations, those that appear to have no solution, no way out. Let me exhort you, saint, not to look to your own natural abilities, but to the Lord Jesus Christ. As He asked Jeremiah, “Is there anything too hard for Me?”
Be assured then that your situation is not too difficult for God. Be diligent in prayer, asking and believing the Lord for the Scripture that provides His solution to your problem, and then do the hardest part – Praise and thank Him and rejoice in His Word before you see it come to pass. That’s faith!
Turn your doubts into praise and you too, like Abraham and Jeremiah, will be able to declare, “Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You.”
