Promises. The very word is interesting, isn't it? We hear someone say "I promise" and we either immediately trust that person, or we immediately don't. Our choice of whether or not to trust another person when they make a promise to us is based on the past, and if there have been promises made that were either not kept, or promises that were made that were broken. There is a difference, but the result is the same. A broken or forgotten promise is an indicator of deceit. We can't simply get over it. We can't force ourselves to fully trust that person again; even if we wanted to! Fact.
People suck. That's just another fact of life. We can pretend that so and so is so wonderful and that he or she would always have our back, they were there in times of trouble, and they have been there when times were good. We assume, because we know, love, and have experiences with people, (certain people) that things are going to work out just fine. Then, when the horrible happens, and the person you thought you were in love with, thought they were in love with you, decides to purposely hurt you with a broken promise, well, you are left both feeling like an idiot, and you're mad because you may have literally invested years into that relationship. The true colors of a person don't always show right away. Sometimes it takes stress, the stress of keeping their word, to bring out the truth of who they really are. It hurts.
Do you know who does not suck? Do you know who does not lie? Do you know who you can always, and I do mean ALWAYS, count on? You know the answer. It's in the title of the blog! God. God will never, can never, has never, and will never lie. He offers us not only confidence in His word, but also in the promises He has made over the years. He made promises to Moses, Noah, Jacob, Abraham, and others. He made you and I promises too. The thing is, there's never ever been a single (not once) time when God has said He would do something and then didn't do it. That means if He says you're going to be punished for something, you will in fact be punished. If He says you will be blessed, you will be blessed. If there is a condition on that promise, it may be up to YOU to fulfill the promise under the terms. What do I mean? Let me explain.
God says in Psalms 37:4, through the Psalmist, that if you (a human) will delight yourself in Him, in His doing, you will be given your heart's desire by God. Is He just going to place those desires in front of you? No. You have a condition to meet. Meet it. He won't falter on His end. In Mark 11:4 through the writer, the promise is more clearly written that if you pray through the will of Christ for something, God will give it. That doesn't mean we just use the words "In Jesus' name" and things will happen, because any fool can pray for a $$$$ and use those words to "seal the deal", but that's not the promise nor is it the essence of the scripture. IF YOU pray through the will of Christ, and what you are asking for is in HIS will, you will receive it. That is a promise. One more, through the Gospel of Matthew in 6:33 the writer says "But first seek the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness and all these things shall be added to you." Again, you have a condition. Again, you have an assignment to meet, but if you do it, He will keep His word. Do it. It's worth it.
Singers sing about these promises. They put music to their words. They stand in front of an audience and they belt out in impassioned fervor how they truly believe that the words are both powerful and meaningful -- let them stand by their own words when they are alone. Let the singer pray and sing to God when he is in his prayer closet and feeling broken. Let the singer know that the God of his salvation is also the same God of His word and will fill the heart again, bring joy again, erase anxiety, destroy depression, and mend souls if the singer will, as we all must do, delight ourselves in Jesus. Find the way. Find Jesus. He found you. He's the same today as He was that day. He's going to be the same tomorrow. That's another promise.
For me, I pray over Psalms 37:4 and the following verse as if it was my true and one hope. It may be. I know without a doubt, that if He lied about that verse, He could have lied about others. I KNOW that if and when I delight in doing what Jesus has asked me to do, (which in my case is to pray for a specific person) and I then do it,(He will) Jesus will give me my heart's desire. NO ONE, NO ONE AT ALL will have the power or authority to change it. No one, no one at all, will have the power or the authority to make my desires change. No one, no one at all, will be able to stop my God from fulfilling His promise. It will happen. I may have to wait, and hey, I'm OK with that. Eternity is a very long time, and I will be there for the duration. God's word will not fail. This is the Rock I choose to use.
When I pray, I pray with a rock in my hand because there is another verse in the Bible that literally says if I forget to praise His name the rocks themselves will call out to Him. I never want to hear that. I never want a rock to speak in my presence if they are calling upon God because that means I did not do what I knew I was to do. I will keep that silent friend of mine in the clutch of my palm and I will thank God for its sealed voice. I will pray, and I will praise Him. I will lift up my voice. I will ask God to guide, heal, protect and give wisdom to the one I am to pray for. I will not fail in this work because the desires of my heart are literally on the line. It may seem a bit selfish of me, but it is what it is. I know my God to be Holy, and He will do what He said He will do. So I do what I am asked.
A man, a simple man, cannot pinkie promise without either having daughters or if he has a twin sister he is given the right to engage in such an oath. If anyone breaks a pinkie promise they are forever cast out of the trust and love of the one they broke the promise to. There is no forgiveness, not really. If we, being just raggedy humans, can make such oaths, how much more will God's promise be worth? We can't even imagine the difference. Earth is one small stone in the scheme of things, and look what we have with it! God is too mysterious to know, but we can be assured that His promise is genuine and it is not going to be compromised ever. If He said He would walk with you in tough times, you are not alone.
From time to time we leave the public view. We pull away from social media. We hide, and we don't want anyone out there to know what is going on in our lives. We're embarrassed. We're hurt. We're confused. We're tired. God knows this. Even in your pulling away please remember to remember His words; let them counsel and lead you. You are loved. You are prayed for. You are cared about. You are wounded, and I understand, but you are lifted. I promise.
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