God's Promises

 

I’m not sure what brought this to mind the other day, but I’m not a person who makes promises. If I tell you that I’ll do something, I’ll do it but I won’t promise to do it. I reserve promises for those things that are very important to me. When my wife and I were married, as part of our vows I promised “…..to honor and cherish you and to love you the way Christ loves the Church”. We renewed our vows in the same church at our 25^th anniversary and it was a blessing to us and to those around us to be reminded of our promises to each other.

 

I’ve seen a claim that God made several thousand promises in the Bible. The exact number is subject to some interpretation, but certainly God has made many very important promises to us. We know that He will keep all the promises that He makes. It’s good for us to be reminded of His promises from time to time, to keep them fresh in our hearts and minds as we go about our daily lives. Here are just a few from the Old Testament.

 

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10). We all have, or will have, times in our lives when we are tired, when we are at the end of our rope. God will always be there to pick us up, to carry us if needed, when we call out to Him.

 

“Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned” (Isaiah 43:1-2). We belong to God. He knows us intimately and cares for us infinitely. He will be with us in times of trial.

 

“Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed”  (Isaiah 54:10). We may not always feel very lovable. No matter what, God loves us and is always ready to make His love known to us.

 

 “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you” (Psalm 32:8).  God gives us free will but He is always ready to lead us in the best way to go. He is always willing to teach us His ways and lead us closer to Him if we are willing to listen.

 

“ ‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future’ “ (Jeremiah 29:11).  This promise was originally given to the Israelites in Babylon who were longing to return to their homeland. It is equally true for us today. We can place our hope in God because He is faithful.

 

“Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall” (Psalm 55:22). We can turn to God when we are troubled. He will respond with a word or a helping hand.

 

If you feel the need to be reminded of God’s promises, take some time to read the Book of Isaiah. Let God speak to you personally of His promises to you. Rejoice in His great love, concern, and providence.

 

We’ll talk more about God’s promises in the New Testament next week.