Promises, Promises…their inherent value is determined by the character of the one who makes the promise. As much as I like to pride myself on being a woman of my word there are times I fail to do what I say. The fear of defaulting on my word has caused me to be caution about committing in some beneficial areas. Yep, I have used it as an excuse to wiggle my way out of few things. You see I tend to worry about sustainability. And it has it’s place but when God is calling us to move out and take the first steps, it is not our job to worry about how to maintain it all.
In Genesis 12:1-2, God gave Abram a simple but sort of vague instruction leave all that was familiar and go to a place I will show you (my paraphrase). He also gave him an awesome promise. As you travel through the scriptures, we find that many years past-25 to be exact-before he saw the fulfillment of the promise. When I read Genesis 21:1, “The Lord kept his word and did for Sara exactly what he had promised. She became pregnant, and she gave birth to a son for Abraham in his old age. This happened at just the time God had said it would.”, I was so encouraged by this familiar story.
Our hope is found in God’s faithfulness to His Word. He keeps his words and he keeps watch over as we walk through life. Even though many years may pass between God’s promises being spoken does not mean He will not fulfill His Word. All throughout the scriptures we see evidence of God’s faithfulness. He often shows up past the time humans think it is likely to happen.
Our expectation dissipates when our eyes and hearts become attentive to the wrong things like the amount of time that has passed between the words that have been spoken rather than on the One who spoke them. And even in that God is gracious enough to come along and redirect our thoughts and heart attitudes. If we listen, He sends little reminders in our conversations with others, sermons we hear, and articles we read. All serving as little beacons cutting through the darkness and showing the light of his precious promises.
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Wanda,
This is a wonderful post. Why? It reminds us that we are less than perfect and fail at keeping our word, at times. Sometimes, we commit to things that we shouldn’t and feel guilty when we cannot follow-through. I tend to be very cautious in committing myself to a given task. I like to pray and think about a commitment. And, I always get an answer form the Lord, when I place my cares and concerns on His altar. it is such a blessing that, “…God is gracious enough to come along and redirect our thoughts and heart attitudes.” I love this sentence from your post. Many blessings to you~
Thanks Cynthia. We can save ourselves a lot of fretting and heartache when we run things by Him first but I’m certainly glad for the many redirects he gives me.
We are all so impatient; we want everything NOW! This is the second devotional today that I have read on this subject. I think God is trying to get my attention. 🙂 Thanks for being the little pencil in His hand, Wanda!
Yes, yes I certainly am. I was reading today in Trisha Goyer’s Amish Devotional today and it was about developing patience and adopting the speed of nature.
As I begin my challenge to read through the Bible this year, I love that so many others appear to be doing the same and writing about how God is speaking to them through His word. I have a new love for the Book of Genesis. I’m so enjoying my mornings with Him. So loved this post.
Blessings to you, Wanda.
Love,
Beth
Yes, Lord. Yes, Lord. Oh, to be steadfast and unmovable (1 Corinthians 15:58)! His promises are never empty and our faith and obedience are never in vain. A great word to go into the weekend, Wanda.