Promises

Have you ever had an assignment from God that you were not crazy about…one you didn’t want to do? That’s what happened to Moses.

She said, “Make a fist.” I did. She attached a tight bandage on my upper left arm. I let her. She swabbed my arm with brownish liquid. I watched. She was wearing a blue nurse-like jacket, nurse-like rubber gloves, and a name badge that looked official to me. I was there to give blood; she was there to take it. She said, “This is going to pinch and burn,” as she inserted the needle into a vein. She was right. Why wouldn’t I believe her? She had done this hundreds of times before (I hoped).

One writer captures our need to trust God when he writes, “You’re a soul made by God, made for God, and made to need God, which means you were not made to be self-sufficient.” Trusting in ourselves, our achievements, and our accomplishments is a losing proposition. Great men and women of God were people of faith. Abraham trusted God’s leading, even when he didn’t know where he was going.

When I was growing up, there was a plaque hanging on a wall in our house that read, “Don’t worry. It may never happen.” I passed that saying many times each day, and those words became branded on my brain. So, of course, I never worry. (I wish!)

Do you ever have nights when you can’t go to sleep? You toss and turn—your mind races. Then fear shows up. For those of you going through illness, nights can be the worst time. While others sleep, nights are lonely hours that invite your mind to entertain all the “what ifs,” and those “what ifs” never bring comfort. There is no getting around it. Storms will come, and sometimes they are unleashed in our lives. Personal storms come through unmet expectations and unfulfilled dreams. Sometimes clouds of darkness from illness and grief build in our hearts: disappointment, discouragement, disillusionment, and depression rain in our souls. But amid the storm—God is our stronghold!

The Creator has you on his mind. What an amazing truth! In today’s psalm, we see that God is magnificent and filled with splendor. He is exalted above all creation. And he has you on his mind. That’s a great promise.

Conflicts are hard. And they are extremely difficult when the issue is with your own children. That’s where King David found himself in today’s psalm. His son Absalom had gained a strong following and was intent on dethroning his dad. David and his household were forced to flee for their lives (2 Samuel 15-18).

The law does not contradict God’s promises but moves us to God’s promises. The law is the road to hope. And our hope is in Jesus alone. Paul explains that “the Law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith” (Gal. 3:24 NKJV). 

Promises mean something. Words are not throw-away verbal utterances. Words are the expression of the heart. That’s why today’s passage reminds us that promises should be made in light of fearing God—honoring and loving him.