What makes a viable promise?
Television commercials and magazine ads are littered with advertising campaigns promising to offer the latest must-have-item. From weight-loss products to technological gadgets, they pledge to improve your life or image with minimal effort or waiting time. But amidst all of propaganda, how does one determine what is fact from fluff?
In today’s “why wait when I can have now” society fluff sells. We look for quick and easy solutions to bypass foundation building activities. Only to find ourselves on a highway scattered with broken promises and unfulfilled expectations.
Feeling jaded by all the empty promises of the world, we can often handle the promises of God in the same way. We read His word and quote it a few times looking for instant manifestation of what is said. After it doesn’t appear in a few days or weeks, we move on to test out another one of His promise. The cycling repeating itself continuously leading us to believe God and religion are just fluff.
Yet when I came across Acts 7:5 today, I don’t see the promise of the instantaneous (although God can do things in an instant). I see the recounting of Abraham’s journey through an area and in what was his now, he got NOTHING. Zilch, nada thing—he received nothing tangible only a promise.
But God gave him no inheritance here, not even one square foot of land. God did promise, however, that eventually the whole land would belong to Abraham and his descendants—even though he had no children yet. Acts 7:5 (NLT)
I like how the NLT translation uses the word eventually, which suggest a period of waiting and some things are worth the wait. There would be a progression to the promise. And if you know anything about Abraham’s story, the progression didn’t always appear to be heading in the right direction. In fact, the initial proclamation of the promise did not make much sense at all. To promise a land to a man’s descendants, who had not experience the joy of seeing any offspring seems like joke. And if he was passing through the land then why not give it to him right then?
Perhaps it’s because we are not always mentally, spiritually, emotionally, or physically prepared for some things right now. The short route is always the best one. But the expectation of the promise fulfillment helps us stay the course.
I like this reminder of Abraham…you are right…He did not receive his promise instantly at all. Abraham did receive it in time though
Thanks Kim.
Good post Wanda; we have become a little to spoiled and impatient in today’s environment. Sometimes waiting is really hard, but waiting for God’s promises to be fulfilled is part of trusting Him. No matter how long the delay, we must wait for Him. When we exercise genuine faith, faith turns a promise into a prophecy! 🙂
Blessings sister!
Denise
Thanks Denise. You’re right waiting can be very challenging. In most cases we can’t help but to wait but I’m learning how we wait is important too.
Wanda, Wanda. Such a timely word. Wow! I was speaking with a friend yesterday who was discouraged about a house she was absolutely certain was for her. Did she not believe that God would provide another house? Would she stop expecting if she did not get the one house she wanted right now? Our conversation ended with me reminding her that faith and fulfillment is not about getting what we can see, but about enduring even when we do not see, even when we suffer losses and setbacks. The promise itself is a gift. The promise, if we keep believing, can help us to stay strong and keep rejoicing: These died in faith, all of them, and they did not receive their promise, but they saw it from a distance and rejoiced in it and confessed that they were foreigners and nomads in The Earth. – Hebrews 11:13
Keep expecting; keep believing. Journey on with joy!
LaVonne, I agree the proclamation of the promise is a gift without the hope of the promise there would be little to help us endure to the end. It makes think of the passage of scripture in Psalms I believe which says I would have fainted except I believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living (my paraphrase).
I really enjoyed this one, Wanda. I have been identifying so much lately with Abraham as I move away from my home of 28 years. I had never really stopped and realized that God didn’t give Abraham any part of the Promised Land – He gave him a promise. I love that. I am taking great encouragement from this post, banking on the promise that eventually God will get us all moved in, and His purposes for this move will begin to become apparent.
GOD BLESS!
Yes, He is faithful. He that begin the move with you will see it to its completion Sharon!
So true. We had to cling to the promise of God’s blessing for years before we saw it starting to manifest in 2012.
But boy was it a blessing?
😀