Sure Promises
For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.
(2 Corinthians 1:20, NKJV)
It is a beautiful thing to watch children when they are excited about something. For those who enjoy ice cream, telling them that they will get it when on an outing, creates palpable excitement. In their expectation they jump up and down, they tell others that they meet that they are going to buy ice cream, their whole energy is put in the hope of having the ice cream. Their excitement and hope is hinged on the promise given. Business people give each other promissory notes, which in many jurisdictions are considered legal. There is a seriousness that is accepted in the promissory note and the agreed conditions are not to be compromised. While the promissory note emanates from an agreement and promise between the parties, its strength is undeniable as it is enforceable in law. While many people makes promises flippantly, we must not lose sight of the value and hope that a genuine promise brings.
There are promises that we could have made to people and even to God but have failed to keep them. We also have received promises from others which were eventually not honoured. When we think of these promises that others did not keep, we recognize the disappointment that we experienced. Some families and friends have lost our trust due to past failed promises, we might also be struggling to win the trust of others that we have disappointed with promises not kept. There are also family members and friends that we trust because we have learnt that they keep their word to us. Hopefully, these reflection help us to receive a fresh perspective of the importance of not only making promises but most importantly keeping them. Our reference verse makes a bold and true statement, that the promises of God are always yes and amen, there is no chance of failing. God’s promises are different from what we are capable of giving ourselves. His promises are hinged on His character of faithfulness, He means what He says in His word. In giving full value to His character, God exalts His word above His name (Psalm 138:2). Our only reaction to such confidence in His word is worship, He is true to what He has said. His word to us is so valuable that it puts His character on the line. He therefore will fulfill His promises to us for He cannot fail. We read that God’s word never falls to the ground without accomplishing what it was sent to do (Isaiah 55:11). God is deliberate to follow through on what He says to His people. This includes when the word is spoken by a true prophet who has heard from Him. We read that all the words that Prophet Samuel spoke were fulfilled, none fell to the ground (1 Samuel 3:19).
Beloved, we can lean on the security of God’s promises for our lives. Theologians say that there are over 7,000 promises in the bible. For every situation that we face, there is a word that God has given, and our work is to find it for application in our lives. Let us be reminded that God takes promises seriously and we therefore can fully depend on what He has said, His word is Himself and He will not deny Himself (2 Timothy 2:13). There are times we fail in our faithfulness but God will not fail, for in failing, He would be denying Himself. Brethren, just as God fulfills His promises to us, He does not like it when we fail to keep our promises to Him or to each other, (Ecclesiastes 5:2-5), tells us that we better not promise or vow about something if we are not going to fulfill it. That is a strong admonition on what we tell others, may we not be known as people of vain words. God challenges us to keep our word just as He keeps His. May we have the integrity of heart to be as faithful as He is.
Thoughts:
Which promises of God do you know?
How has God kept His promises to you?
Are you a promise keeper?