Believing the promises of God

I don’t know about you, but I don’t usually promise my children that I will do something or get something for them because I may or may not be able to comply and a promise has to be fulfilled.  When we read in the Bible all the amazing things God says He will do, we understand that He takes promises very seriously, and we can be certain that He will fulfill them because “every word of God proves true.”  (Proverbs 30:5) 

But sometimes it is hard to believe that all those wonderful promises are for real and they are for us.  We believe in God, we believe His Word, but for some reason we don’t take a hold of His promises and accept them as ours. It is as if we had something blocking us and it doesn’t allow us to see all the good things that God has so carefully and lovingly prepared for each of us. 

Let’s think about this… why is it so hard for us to believe that God will do all those amazing things in our life?  Do we doubt that He can? Do we feel we are not that important so why should He?  Do we think He is too busy to pay attention to us? 

Maybe our view is being blocked by our present circumstances; we may be having a rough time which makes anything positive seem impossible.  For a good reason God tells us that faith is “The confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen.  It is the evidence of things we cannot yet see.”  (Hebrews 11:1)   and we are reminded that we “live by believing and not by seeing” (2 Corinthians 5:7), but isn’t it hard to believe what we can’t see?

As always we have a choice.  We can dwell in our problems and let them overwhelm us, or we can focus on the good things that God has said that He will do; the things we can’t see, but we know are coming.  When we concentrate on the good God can and will do we face our present with a different attitude; He strengthens us so we can enjoy the now, even if it is not everything it can be yet.  

We need to begin by knowing that “All Scripture is inspired by God” (2 Timothy 3:16),  if we keep this in mind, every time we read the Bible it will be easier for us to receive God’s comfort, guidance and love.  Once we quiet ourselves, then we can start reading, receiving and declaring God’s promises in our life.  The enemy wants to steal our peace, he wants us to be busy with our feelings because we waste time and energy when we are focusing on our pain and confusion; instead when we receive God’s peace we see everything with a new light.

You may say…“But it is so hard!” and you are right!  But what would you prefer?  Repeating over and over in your mind how angry, hurt, confused or fed up you are or know that you can “Give your burdens to the Lord, and he will take care of you.  He will not permit the godly to slip and fall.” (Psalm 55:22) and believe that “Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.” (Psalm 91:1) I think the decision is easy because nothing can compare to God’s promises.

How can we continue feeling down when we read Isaiah 41:10 “Don’t be afraid, for I am with you.  Do not be dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you.  I will help you. I will uphold you with my victorious right hand.”  And like this, there are many verses that remind us that God is by our side every second of our lives. 

As we talk about promises, there is one thing we need to keep in mind; God wants to give us many wonderful things, but above everything, more important than anything is Him.  “Trust in the Lord and do good.  Then you will live safely in the land and prosper.  Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desire” (Psalm 37:3-4) our relationship with God is the most precious gift we can receive. If we delight in Him, if we share our life with Him then He “will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.”  (Philippians 4:19)

Read carefully the promises of God and expect amazing things in your life. Our God is powerful and He is ready to act. “He has given us all of his rich and wonderful promises.  He has promised that you will escape the decadence all around you caused by evil desires and that you will share in his divine nature.  So make every effort to apply the benefits of these promises to your life.  (2 Peter1:4-5)