“For all the promises of God find their Yes in Him. That is why it is through Him that we utter our Amen to God for His glory.” (2 Corinthians 1:20, ESV)
It happens more than any parent would care to admit. We make the mistake of promising our kids more than we can deliver.
It’s usually not intentional when it happens … unforeseen circumstances arise followed by disappointment. And then, we are humbled by our inability to keep our promises. You know … we all know … what this feels like!
Back when the ‘cabbage patch’ dolls first came out … of course, everyone wanted one. Our children were no exception. And being the good parents we were trying hard to be … we said we would find them all one to have for their very own.
The only problem … because every other child wanted them … and every other parent seemed to make the same promises … we soon discovered to our dismay there were none available!
And so … before the advantage of Google to help locate them … we searched and we searched … and came home empty-handed! Oh, the sadness and the tears … and yes, the disappointment.
As we sent them off to bed … the lamentations were overwhelming and actually hard to hear. “But, Dad! You promised …” “Yes … Yes I did!”
The words of our opening text are the inspired words of the Apostle Paul recorded in a second letter to those who made up the church in Corinth. A troubled church living in troubled times who needed the wise, comforting, admonishing soul-saving words from God!
They were being reminded … reassured … encouraged! All of God’s promises are kept! His every promise in the Old and New Testaments of peace and joy, of love and goodness, of forgiveness and salvation are made possible and found in Jesus Christ (See Luke 24:44)! “Amen!”
It is no different for us today, is it? With all that life is comprised of and with all the challenges that seem at times to be more than we can bear …we need to remember these wonderful and reassuring words … words spoken by God through His appointed messenger.
The inspired psalmist says it this way: “For the word of the Lord holds true, and we can trust everything He does.” (Psalm 33:4, NLT)
Don’t you just love the confidence that comes from this passage? The God we love, serve, and obey is mindful of us every hour of every day of every week of every month of every year! There is nothing beyond His ability to know and when coupled with His unlimited power … very simply … our God keeps every promise He makes!
- When He promises to both hear and answer our prayers … He means it!
- When He affirms that any time spent in the study, meditation and reflections of His revealed will is not wasted or in some way without relevance …He means it!
- When He promises to forgive us of repented sins … He means it!
We need to know, believe, and hold on to His spoken word. There is absolutely no other word spoken by any man or written by any author that can sustain, strengthen, comfort, help, assist, encourage, and buoy us up in troubled waters … like His Word!
When we are saddened by the loss of a loved one or dear friend … He promises in Psalm 30:5, “Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning.”
When we feel like the weight of the world has been placed squarely on our shoulders, wondering just how much more we can take … He promises in Psalm 34:19, “Disciples so often get into trouble; still, God is there every time.”
When health issues arise and lay us down or those we love …He promises in Psalm 41:3, “The Lord will strengthen him on his bed of illness; You will sustain him on his sickbed.”
And when life is drawing to an end and the death angel is down the hall heading our way … He promises that “… when we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, we need not to fear, for He is with us” (Psalm 23:4)
Words offered that never bore fruit … actions promised that never materialized … broken promises … all coming from even the most well-meaning … but coming anyway! But never from the Lord!
God keeps His promises! Trust Him my friend … He will never disappoint you … ever!
“Praise the Lord who has given rest to His people, according to all that He promised. Not one word has failed of all the wonderful promises He gave through His servant Moses.” (1 Kings 8:56, NLT)
Bill Fairchild, Jr.
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