Five Promises

“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.  And Abraham named their son Isaac. Eight days after Isaac was born, Abraham circumcised him as God had commanded. Abraham was 100 years old when Isaac was born.”  Genesis 21:2-5

“Joseph’s suggestions were well received by Pharaoh and his officials.  So Pharaoh asked his officials, “Can we find anyone else like this man so obviously filled with the spirit of God?”  Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has revealed the meaning of the dreams to you, clearly no one else is as intelligent or wise as you are.  You will be in charge of my court, and all my people will take orders from you. Only I, sitting on my throne, will have a rank higher than yours.”

  Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I hereby put you in charge of the entire land of Egypt.” Then Pharaoh removed his signet ring from his hand and placed it on Joseph’s finger. He dressed him in fine linen clothing and hung a gold chain around his neck. Then he had Joseph ride in the chariot reserved for his second-in-command. And wherever Joseph went, the command was shouted, “Kneel down!” So Pharaoh put Joseph in charge of all Egypt. And Pharaoh said to him, “I am Pharaoh, but no one will lift a hand or foot in the entire land of Egypt without your approval.”  Genesis 41:37-44

“When Job prayed for his friends, the LORD restored his fortunes. In fact, the LORD gave him twice as much as before! Then all his brothers, sisters, and former friends came and feasted with him in his home. And they consoled him and comforted him because of all the trials the LORD had brought against him. And each of them brought him a gift of money and a gold ring.

  So the LORD blessed Job in the second half of his life even more than in the beginning.”  Job 42:10-12a

“At that time there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon. He was righteous and devout and was eagerly waiting for the Messiah to come and rescue Israel. The Holy Spirit was upon him and had revealed to him that he would not die until he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. That day the Spirit led him to the Temple. So when Mary and Joseph came to present the baby Jesus to the Lord as the law required, Simeon was there. He took the child in his arms and praised God, saying,

  “Sovereign Lord, now let your servant die in peace,
      as you have promised.
 I have seen your salvation,
     which you have prepared for all people.
  He is a light to reveal God to the nations,
      and he is the glory of your people Israel!”

  Jesus’ parents were amazed at what was being said about him. Then Simeon blessed them, and he said to Mary, the baby’s mother, “This child is destined to cause many in Israel to fall, but he will be a joy to many others. He has been sent as a sign from God, but many will oppose him. As a result, the deepest thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your very soul.”  Luke 2:25-35

 “I will never fail you. 

      I will never abandon you.”  Hebrews 13:5b

Five verses.  Different stories and different situations... but there is one consistent theme running through all of them.  Did you find it?

If you need to, go back and re-read them.  See if you can spot what all 5 have in common.  

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Each of these verses reveal that God keeps His promises.  

Sarah gave birth as an elderly woman.

Joseph became leader of Egypt 

Job endured the devil’s trials.

Simeon saw the new-born Savior that would bring salvation.

And then there’s that last one...

That last promise is one of many He made to you.  The same God who came through in each of these verses is going to be there for you.  

God will never fail you.

God will never abandon you.

He promises.... and God always keeps His promises.

Today... live as though you weren’t doing it alone.  Because you aren’t.  God is with you every step of the way.  

He promises.

He Always Will Be

How often do we forget the power of God?   Sometimes it’s when we are in financial crisis... other times we get scared when the doctor tells us she found something on our X-rays.  Fear sets in.  Storm clouds gather.  We feel helpless, hopeless, and alone. Can God REALLY do what the Bible says He can?

I think some of the most common doubting takes place when it comes time to pray.   Is God listening to me?  Does He even care?  If He does hear me... what will his answer be?  What if He says “wait”  or even  “No..”  What will I do then?  If you’ve ever found yourself wondering the same thing when you pray, today’s verse has good news for you  Ready for it?  Here it is:

“If God is for us, who can ever be against us?”  -  Romans 8:31b 

God is for you.  

Read that one more time...  God is for you.

Paul asks... “If God is for us, who can ever be against us?”

Great question... but doubt no more... God is for you. He has your best interests in mind.  He is your protector, sustainer, provider, caretaker, and loving Heavenly Father.  Even if you question His power... or face challenges and stresses that seem beyond your ability to handle them... God always knows what’s best for you.  Stand strong knowing that even though you may not receive the prayer answer you’re expecting... He is listening.   The response you get will always be the right one.... in the right time... and there is nothing on Earth that will be able to stand against you with the King of Kings in your corner.  

Never give up... Keep going.

Never stop praying... He’s listening.

Never forget... God is for you.

And He always will be.  

Not Moving

A story was told about two couples in the 1950s... A husband and wife, married for many years, were driving down the road behind a young couple in the car ahead of them.  The young couple had a car with front bench seats and the girl was sitting right next to the young man who was driving and had her head on his shoulder. The woman in the car behind sighed and said to her husband, “Do you remember how we used to be like that?  Her husband who was driving looked across the front seat and said, “I didn’t move!”

Sometimes we feel like that with God.  Why did God stop drawing close?  What happened to the way it used to be?   The truth...God didn’t move.  Whenever we feel distant from God, it isn’t Him that does the moving... it’s us.  Problem is, emotions cloud things...  When we’re happy... we feel that God is right there.  When we’re sad... we think He’s moved away.  Fact is... God is always there.  He remains vigilant and steadfast.  Find peace in that truth... walk confidently... knowing that every step you take will have two sets of footprints!

God Knows

“In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation.”  1 Peter 5:10

Maybe you woke up today with the weight of the world on your shoulders.

Sometimes it’s what life throws at you.  Sometimes it’s discipline for a bad decision.  Every time it’s tough.  Really tough.  Hard to believe that you’ll be able to bear up under it.  Stresses, confusion, anger, bitterness, worry, and wonder... all mixed together in the soup of our day.  Life gets very very hard.     And in the midst of our pain, the devil sits nearby whispering...

“If God loved you...you wouldn’t be going through this.”

That voice sounds so familiar.  It’s the one that tells you that you aren’t good enough... or that God has left you... or you don’t matter.

He just doesn’t let up.
 
The saddest truth is that some of us have become convinced this is true.  It’s far easier to believe we are being punished for something than it is to think that God is allowing it to happen for us to grow.  We don’t like discipline.  We don’t like not knowing.  And if we’re being honest... we don’t like to wait on God’s timing when our own seems like a better plan.

God knows what He’s doing.

He truly does.


I know this... You will be victorious over what is holding you down.   How do I know?

1) What you are feeling is for a SEASON.

“In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation.”  1 Peter 5:10

That pit in your stomach. The tears that sting your eyes.  The lies.  The abandonment.  The loneliness.  You won’t feel these forever.  Look at the verse... it says your suffering is not a permanent condition.  Of course, a little while to God may seem like an eternity to us….but God’s timing is perfect... and we need to keep in mind that there is a purpose to the pain.  It may feel like Winter now... but Spring is coming.   Endure the season... but while you are going through it... thank God for His continued love and protection.

He is building you... one season and one challenge at a time.


2) What you are feeling is for a REASON.

A man found a cocoon of a butterfly. One day a small opening appeared. He sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to squeeze its body through the tiny hole. Then it stopped, as if it couldn’t go further.
So the man decided to help the butterfly. He took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bits of cocoon. The butterfly emerged easily but it had a swollen body and shriveled wings.

The man continued to watch it, expecting that any minute the wings would enlarge and expand enough to support the body. Neither happened. In fact the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around. It was never able to fly.

What the man in his kindness and haste did not understand was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required by the butterfly to get through the opening was a way of forcing the fluid from the body into the wings so that it would be ready for flight once that was achieved.

The butterfly was meant to go through struggle to make it capable of thriving in its life.

Look again at today’s verse:

“In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation.”  1 Peter 5:10

The very reason you hurt is because there is something in it that will refine you...  You will learn something about the depth of your faith...the strength of your God... and how very much He loves you.

Pushing through builds perseverance.  Enduring under the weight brings strength.  Leaning on God when it hurts develops faith.

You’ll need all three to become the person that God has created you to be.  Perseverance...strength...faith.  If life were always easy, you’d struggle with all three.

You were designed by a loving God to stand strong in the face of adversity.  To fly.  Instead of running from the troubles or looking for shortcuts around the trials... embrace them.  It won’t be easy... Maybe you’ll want to be a martyr... or blame yourself or someone else... or feel like a victim.

You aren’t.  God is bigger than anything you will ever come up against.  The season you are in has been long and difficult... but you’ll make it.  Never quit.  Keep moving forward... even tiny steps if you have to.

And when the clouds part and the sun comes back out... break free... spread your wings and be a living testimony of Christ’s goodness and love.