“So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.” (Deuteronomy 31:6 NLT)
The power of a promise rests in the life of the one who makes the promise. As children if we wanted some of a friend’s candy we’d say: “I’ll give you some of mine. I promise.” But as soon as they shared theirs, we’d run away. Or, perhaps the classic promise is given to our parents when we disobeyed: “I promise I will never do that again!” and we all know what happened after that.
Sadly, we do the same with God. “Please, Lord, get me out of this mess and I will NEVER do it again!” until the next time! Why? Because we believe the Lord is infinitely forgiving, which He is, but does He allow us to make a fool of Him by lying to Him over and over again? Of course not, so why do we allow the enemy to lie us into believing He will?
The power of promise lies in our desire to believe the promise will be kept, even by unreliable people. How much more should we believe the promises our Heavenly Father gives us, who never lies!
The words of the Lord above to the children of Israel as they stood on the boundary of a new land the Lord was giving them, challenge me as I stand on the shoreline of the rest of my life. They had no clue what lie ahead, but the Lord laid out for them essentially the same instructions He gives us: TRUST ME! BELIEVE ME! FOLLOW ME! OBEY ME! SUBMIT TO MY AUTHORITY IN YOUR LIFE!
But what about when the way is dark, when I can’t see what’s ahead? When I’m afraid? When I’m alone? When I’m doubting? When I’m ___________? It doesn’t matter the circumstances or how we feel about them, the Lord is ALWAYS faithful, He NEVER lies, He ALWAYS, under every circumstance, keeps His promises.
What if when we’re being tempted, rather than immediately seek to rely on our own strength and ingenuity, we simply said: “Thank You, Lord, for walking with me through this struggle. I will rely on You, on Your strength, and on Your ingenuity to deliver me. And I know You will because Your Word promises that You will ALWAYS “show (me) a way out so that (I) can endure.” (1 Corinthians 10:13)
The power of God’s promises can be most helpful when we make them personal. When the Lord spoke to the children of Israel, in Deuteronomy 30:15-16 the Lord said: “Now listen! Today I am giving you a choice between life and death, between prosperity and disaster. For I command you this day to love the Lord your God and to keep His commands, decrees, and regulations by walking in His ways. If you do this, you will live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you and the land you are about to enter and occupy.”
The power of God’s promise to never leave me echoed in the words of Hebrews 13:5: “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you,” comfort me in every season of my life. In sickness when the future is gray and unknown; in death, knowing when I close my eyes for the last time here I will open them in the presence of my Savior; in spiritual battle/temptation knowing we are NOT alone; in persecution/trials knowing we’re not relying on our own strength and resource; in living, witnessing, working, praying – regardless of the circumstance we are never left alone to find our own way or to work in the energy of our own strength.
Food for thought.
Blessings, Ed 😊
Walking With Jesus 