The Ultimate Promise Keeper

God gives us the perfect example of how to keep promises – his promises are true!

If asked, would you say that you know how to keep a promise? I still remember how we would do it when we were kids – we would interlock our little fingers and swear to keep the promise forever! More often than not, however, the promise would be broken within the next ten minutes!

Many of us have been guilty of breaking promises, right? Sadly, some of these promises are broken at the worst time, when we are needed the most. Over the years, however, I have noted that God gives us the perfect example of keeping promises, as he is the ultimate promise keeper. Below I have listed a few of my favorite promises, and what I believe the Lord says to us through them.

God promises never to leave us or forsake us

Hebrews 13:5b “Never will I leave you;  never will I forsake you.” (NIV)

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Another version…

“I will never fail you.   I will never abandon you.” (NLT)

In the book of 1st Samuel, David was anointed to be king of Israel. Unfortunately, the transition to his new post was not easy, as Saul was still in power. David found himself in some difficult situations as he waited for God’s promise to unfold. He was almost nailed to the wall by Saul’s spear, had to flee to the neighbouring Philistine territory and feign madness so they would not kill him, and spent a night in a desolate cave because Saul was pursuing him. All this time it would have been easy for David to give up and forget God’s promise, but he instead chose to believe that the Lord had not forsaken him.

How easy it is to forget that God walks beside us during tough times! We go round lamenting about how we feel alone and how nobody understands what we are going through as we wallow in sadness. We forget that the promise of Hebrews 13:5b applies to every one of God’s children.

If you are at the point I have described above right now, remember that the Lord says he will never leave you, fail you, abandon you or forsake you! Isn’t that encouraging?

God promises to fight our battles

Isaiah 41:10 “Don’t be afraid, for I am with you.   Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you.   I will hold you up with my victorious right hand” (NLT)

Back in the day, there was this popular worship song called ‘The Battle Belongs to the Lord’. We would sing it with such zeal and enthusiasm, believing with all our hearts that the battle was in his hands! It is only recently, however, that I got to understand the real meaning behind this phrase.

When we become children of God, he expects us to surrender our lives completely to him. Completely means every single aspect of our lives, whether big or small! Once you hand over your life to him, you give him the freedom to fight all your battles because he’s now in charge! In other words, the battle is no longer yours, but the Lord’s!

In my teaching career, there have been moments where I have needed the Lord to fight my battles. One instance comes to mind – there was a miscommunication concerning my yearly performance review. As you may know, good reviews translate to salary increments, and vice versa. Despite the fact that I had worked my heart out throughout the year, I did not get a salary increment. Now, this was a battle that was totally out of my hands as there was no way I could defend myself. I turned to the Lord and told him that I would continue to work in a manner that pleased him even if my reviews were bad. I let him fight the battle.

Two years later he answered my prayer.

God promises to fight your battles for you – if you surrender your life to him.

God promises to guide us

Psalm 32:8 ‘The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life.  I will advise you and watch over you.”’ (NLT)

This life can be pretty confusing! One minute you are heading in one direction, then all of a sudden God throws you a curveball and you have to change course!

I had great plans for my son – where he would go to school, what skills he would learn, etc. When I noticed that there was a delay in his milestones, I brushed it off, saying he needed time. Finally, the diagnosis came – autism – and all my dreams for him went up in smoke!

Curveballs make us doubt God because they are painful, unexpected and uncomfortable! In my case, I completely forgot that God had the situation covered! I forgot that God had placed this curveball in my path as part of his perfect plan.

As difficult as it is to trust God in difficult situations, I believe it’s in our best interests to do so. Once I begin to trust that God’s plan is not dependent on what goes around me, I will be free to trust him to fulfill his perfect plan for my life.

God promises to guide us, advise us and protect us if we trust him. What a wonderful promise!

There are so many other great promises that I could have listed here! The verse below however provides a fitting conclusion to this week’s topic.

Psalms 18:30 “God’s way is perfect. All the Lord’s promises prove true. He is a shield for all who look to him for protection.” (NLT)

God always keeps his promises!

 

 

 

 

Hi everyone! Thanks again for reading this week’s article. Do you have a favorite promise that you would like to share in the comments section? Please go ahead, and don’t forget to share this article with your friends and family!

 

 

 

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