Standing on the Promises
“So now wrap your heart tightly around the hope that lives within us,
Hebrews 10:23 TPT
knowing that God always keeps his promises!”
Sometimes it’s hard to stay optimistic. We try our best, but what do we do when everything seems to be going wrong? How do we cope when our world seems to be falling apart? How do we hold on to hope? We can remember Who is in charge. We can believe that God is good and faithful, and that He can work all things for our good. We can remind ourselves of His promises: He will never leave us or forsake us; He will never give us more to deal with than we can bear; He will give us everything we need for the life we’re called to live; and He will never, ever stop loving us. When the ground beneath us feels shaky, we can choose to stand on the promises of God!
“You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!”
Isaiah 26:3 NLT
Standing on the Promises that Cannot Fail
“God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind.
Numbers 23:19 NIV
Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?”
We’ve all been let down by others who haven’t come through on their promises. Dealing with the disillusionment and hearbreak that follows can make it hard for us to trust. We become skeptical of anything that sounds too good to be true, and we learn to expect disappointment. But our experiences with imperfect humans should not affect how we relate to our perfect and loving God. God is completely trustworthy, and He is all-powerful. There is absolutely nothing He cannot do. And He will never lie, change His mind, or fail to fulfill His promises. Whatever He says, no matter how impossible it sounds to us, He will do. We can believe it!
“God’s Word is absolutely true. You may not understand how God is going to bring about what He’s promised you, but He is keeping every promise that He has ever made. He will never deceive you or disappoint you, and He will never change His mind about what He’s told you.”
Charles F. Stanley, 30 Life Principles
When the Howling Storms of Doubt and Fear Assail
“For God has said, ‘I will never leave you; I will never abandon you.'”
Hebrews 13:5 GNT
God promises that He will never leave us or abandon us. He will be there to help us through any storms we face. Even if we don’t feel His presence, He is still there. When we’re assaulted with doubts and fears, we can choose to believe this promise. Sometimes it’s hard. We look around and feel all alone, like no one understands or cares what we’re going through. But we’re not alone. God is there. He understands and He cares, and He will never desert us.
“I am always available to you. Once you have trusted Me as your Savior, I never distance Myself from you. Sometimes you may feel distant from Me. Recognize that as feeling; do not confuse it with reality. The Bible is full of My promises to be with you always.”
Sarah Young, Life in His Presence
By the Living Word of God I Shall Prevail
“The rain and snow come down from the heavens and stay on the ground to water the earth. They cause the grain to grow, producing seed for the farmer and bread for the hungry. It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it.”
Isaiah 55:10-11 NLT
We can read all about God’s promises in the Bible. In His Word we learn of His promises to others and how they were fulfilled. We also learn of His promises to us. As we draw close to Him and learn to hear His voice, He may also share very personal and specific promises with us individually. He’s done so for me! This is exciting and amazing when it happens, especially if it is a promise about the future. But it got me thinking about why He would do this. Why does God give us all these promises? Is it just for our benefit? His promises do bring us peace and comfort, but I don’t believe it’s just about us. God has work for us to do, and He gives us everything we need to do it. He wants us to bear fruit for His Kingdom, and if giving us a promise about the future helps us to do so, then that’s what He gives us. So His promises aren’t just nice to hear — they are necessary. We must keep faith in His promises if we are going to grow into the mature Christians that He wants us to be and fulfill His plan for our lives.
“God’s promises are essential to your spiritual welfare.”
Charles F. Stanley, 30 Life Principles
Standing on the Promises of God
“Not a single one of all the good promises the Lord had given to the family of Israel was left unfulfilled; everything he had spoken came true.”
Joshua 21:45 NLT
There was a man who had to stand on the promises of God. He uprooted his life and his family and went where God told him to go. His name was Abram. When he was 99 years old, the Lord appeared to him and said:
“This is my covenant with you: I will make you the father of a multitude of nations! What’s more, I am changing your name. It will no longer be Abram. Instead, you will be called Abraham, for you will be the father of many nations.”
Genesis 17:4-5 NLT
God promised to make Abraham’s offspring as numerous as the stars in the sky (Genesis 15:5). And through Abraham’s family, God promised to bless the entire world (Genesis 12:3). This promise was fulfilled when Jesus Christ, the Son of God and also a descendant of Abraham, sacrificed Himself to save us all from sin and eternal separation from God. If we have trouble believing God’s promises that have yet to be fulfilled, we can just look up at the stars and remember God’s promise to Abraham. Galatians 3:7 tells us that through faith in Christ we are all Abraham’s offspring. So the fact that the Christian Church exists today all over the world is an unmistakeable sign that God keeps His promises!
“My soul cried for deliverance,
Russell Kelso Carter, author of the hymn “Standing on the Promises”
and God’s unlimited promises stood out like stars above me.”
This week’s Scripture passages focus on just a few of God’s promises. The Bible is full of many more. I have also included a video of people from countries all over the world singing “Amazing Grace.” It was made in 2020 as a message of comfort and hope when COVID isolation left us feeling like we were standing on shaky ground. But I think it also serves as a powerful reminder of how God has fulfilled His promises to Abraham. One man chose to believe God as He pointed up at the stars and made promises about the future. Now Christians all over the world are singing about God’s amazing grace! When I think about that, it takes my breath away. My friends, no matter how impossible it may seem to us, God fulfills every promise He makes. So when we feel the world crumbling beneath our feet, let’s choose to stand instead on the promises of God!
“The Lord took [Abram] outside and said, ‘Look at the sky and try to count the stars; you will have as many descendants as that. . . . And through you I will bless all the nations.'”
Genesis 15:5 & 12:3 GNT
References:
- “50 Countries Sing Amazing Grace ALL OVER the WORLD.” YouTube, uploaded by The Normal Christian Life, 26 May 2020, https://youtu.be/BA7pdABvpnc.
- Morgan, Robert J. Then Sings My Soul: 150 of the World’s Greatest Hymn Stories. Thomas Nelson, 2003.
- “Standing On The Promises / This We Know | Cover by Bethel AG Band.” YouTube, uploaded by Bethel AG Church International Worship Centre, 8 September 2021, https://youtu.be/4Y9t93mc3T4.
- Stanley, Charles F. 30 Life Principles Study Guide: A Study for Growing in Knowledge and Understanding of God. Thomas Nelson, 2008.
- Young, Sarah. Life in His Presence: A Jesus Calling Guided Journal. Thomas Nelson, 2020.
Images:
- Cross image by congerdesign from Pixabay
- Standing on a Rock image by SnapwireSnaps from Pixabay
- Storm image by ELG21 from Pixabay
- Bible image by charlotte_202003 from Pixabay
- Starry Sky image by FelixMittermeier from Pixabay
- Looking at the Night Sky image by Evgeni Tcherkasski from Pixabay
About The Author
Christa
My vision for Wondertakings was to create a devotional blog for "nerdy" Christians like me. I do believe, as Socrates said, that wisdom begins in wonder. So I love to read or watch anything that inspires wonder and figure out what I can learn from it. I view it all through a Christian lens. I believe that God can and does speak through many sources in many ways, even if those speaking are not aware of it. I am not an expert in theology or religious studies. My goal with this blog is simply to share what I've learned as a fellow student and sinner in the Christian walk. My hope and my prayer is that by doing so I may be able to help someone else. In Deuteronomy 5:33 (NLT), we are told: "Stay on the path that the Lord your God has commanded you to follow. Then you will live long and prosperous lives. . . ." So in the words of Moses (and Spock), live long and prosper, my friends!