“God keeps every promise He makes.” So says Henry Blackaby in his Experiencing God Day by Day Devotional.
OK, so where’s that “peace” He promised? And all those “things” I asked for after reading He would give what I asked. Or is that exactly what it said in scripture? Maybe I need to check it a bit more closely.
Paul was preaching to the church in Corinth. He was facing the opponents who had been attempting to persuade the Christians there that Paul’s change in his travel plans was evidence that Paul’s word was not to be trusted, that he was fickle and unreliable. What they really wanted was to undermine Paul’s credibility and do the same with the gospel message he was preaching to the Corinthians.
In response came Paul’s explanation of his changing of travel plans to visit them, but he also told them he did not make his plans “in a worldly manner” saying “yes” and “no” in the same breath. (Any present day politicians come to mind as you read this?)
He then went straight to the point saying his preaching of Jesus Christ to them (as did Silas and Timothy) has not been a “yes” and “no”, but in Christ it has always been “Yes.” And here was the scripture Blackaby provided:
“For every one of God’s promises is ‘yes’ in Him. Therefore, the ‘Amen’ is also spoken through Him by us for God’s glory.” 2 Corinthians 1:20 (Amen means ‘it is true’ or ‘so be it’)
What does this scripture really say to us? Blackaby explains it best – “When we walk in intimate fellowship with Christ, we have the assurance that every promise God has made in Scripture is available to us.”
OK – I get it – there’s the ‘catch’ – I need to “walk in intimate fellowship with Christ”. Aaarrgghh! How do I do that? To me, my immediate interpretation is that I have to be perfect, no sin, truly holy, etc. If I am walking in “intimate fellowship” with my Jesus, I am going to see every ugly sin I think or do, intentionally or unintentionally, as disqualifying me from those ‘Promises’ I want. Right?
Wrong! Hallelujah…here is the additional info Blackaby brought to my attention that helped.
Jesus promised that when you ask for something in His will, He will give you what you ask (John 16:23b). This promise is available to every Christian – that was good news to me! If you ask God if this promise applies to your life, Blackaby says God’s answer is “yes”.
So – if you are not now experiencing this promise, which was what came to my mind right away, Blackaby says it does not change the fact that God has said it. You may need, however, to seek God’s answer for why His promise has not yet reached maturity in you. I pondered that interesting way Blackaby described it.
You see, Paul claimed he had tested each of God’s promises in his own life and found they were all definitely true. And that was why he could preach about the “immeasurable riches of His grace through His kindness to us in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:7b) and the “incalculable riches of Christ” (Ephesians 3:8b). I quickly think about Paul’s early life as a professed Christian who was persecuting other Christians – yes, we are talking physical murder (like Stephen’s) and so much terrible stuff in his history.
I know, Paul had an amazing “conversion” experience and all that, but I suspect his “intense” personality and some imperfections in daily life still were present. He did not immediately become “perfect” – which I have learned does not happen while we are on this earth. But Paul says he had found a wealth of God’s promises and enjoyed them – I want that, too!
Back to Blackaby’s wise words:
“Don’t become discouraged or impatient if you are not experiencing to the fullest all of God’s promises in your life. God may want to prepare you to receive some of the great truths He has made available to you. Walk closely with your Lord and, in time, you will see Him bring His promises to fruition in your life.”
OK, “in time” – that means I need to trust the Lord in not only fulfilling the promises but in timing the fulfillment as well as designing “how” it will be fulfilled. Maybe very differently than I think – but always way better.
So let me pass this “call to action” on to you in hopes it will be as helpful to you as it has been to me.
Somewhere along the way, I do not remember where or when, someone said to put a “P” in the margin of my Bible every time I find a promise. This was quite a few years ago. And I am astounded at the number of “P’s” I see as I look up scripture or read in my Bible.
But the most helpful part occurred when I was “down in the dumps” or even “distraught” at circumstances and just picked up my Bible and started thumbing through looking for “P’s”. It did not take long before I realized my whole outlook had changed to one of gratitude and encouragement.
Let me encourage you – mark those “Promises” you find with a “P” or a “star” or whatever works for you. Then be ready to thumb through to find them when you need to remember them! He’s there for us – we just need reminders!
