God’s a Promise Keeper

God keeps His promises. You’ve probably heard that before, but have you experienced God’s promise-keeping abilities in your own life? 

Whenever I think about God’s promises, I think of Abraham. God made some big promises to Abraham, including some that were hard to trust. He would be the father of many nations and God would take care of him. God also promises that He will take care of us (see Matthew 6:25-34).

After job loss left me without a home, I struggled with feeling disappointed with how my life had turned out. I am thankful for my church family who provided me temporary residence while I struggled to find a job and pay my bills. It was extremely humbling to have to ask for help and, sometimes, it was difficult to be thankful for what I did have because it didn’t look the way I wanted it to. I felt like a failure because I let myself down. It was hard for me, as an adult, to depend on someone else when I thought being fully independent was the goal. 

Even though I felt like I was moving backwards in that season, the Lord helped me move forward by teaching me that His grace was also for me. More importantly, He taught me to fully depend upon Him and Him alone. Abraham had to learn to do the same. Waiting on the Lord was hard, and I wasn’t the best at it; but I learned that Abraham wasn’t either. 

God promised Abraham that he and Sarah would not only be parents, but that he would be the father of many nations. Abraham was 75 years old when God first called him and started speaking to him about the plans that he had for him (see Genesis 12:1-4). 

Abraham struggled with not seeing God’s promise fulfilled when he thought it should be, so he decided to “help” God keep His promise through Hagar. Abraham was 86 when Ishmael was born (Genesis 16:16).

While Ishmael’s birth made Abraham a father, it was only through Sarah that God fulfilled his original promise to Abraham. He was 100 years old when Isaac was born (Genesis 21:5).

Abraham waited 25 years for the promise the Lord made to him to come to fruition. Can you imagine waiting 25 years for God’s promises to be fulfilled? Maybe you can.

Waiting patiently on the Lord is not easy, but God is gracious. Even though Abraham was sometimes impatient and didn’t perfectly believe that God would do what He said, God was gracious to Abraham. He saw his faith. God’s promise to Abraham wasn’t dependent on Abraham executing every step with perfection, but it was dependent on his faith in God and his willingness to look to the Lord and to trust in Him in the waiting. The Lord declared Abraham as righteous because of his faith (see Romans 4:13-22). Abraham waited on the Lord, and it was in the waiting that the Lord met Him. 

For example, there was God’s promise to Abraham. Since there was no one greater to swear by, God took an oath in his own name, saying: “I will certainly bless you, and I will multiply your descendants beyond number.” Then Abraham waited patiently, and he received what God had promised. (Hebrews 6:13-15 NLT)

The same is true for you. If you are waiting on the Lord for a promise to be fulfilled, your waiting is not in vain. God is entirely faithful, and His timing is perfect. He sees your faith and knows what you need and the best time to give it to you. God does not lie. He is faithful to keep His promises, no matter how long it takes.

The Lord will work out his plans for my life—for your faithful love, O Lord, endures forever. Don’t abandon me, for you made me. (Psalm 138:8)

~

Scripture is quoted from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.