What Has God Promised You?
But he said, “Lord God, how can I know that I will possess it?”
Genesis 15:8 Christian Standard Bible
For all of God’s promises find their “yes” of fulfillment in him. And as his “yes” and our “amen” ascend to God, we bring him glory!
1 Corinthians 1:20 The Passion Translation
Today’s first scripture comes out of a very well-known story. This the story of a man named Abraham. Let’s get into it…
God promised Abraham that he would be made into a great nation. A great nation requires a son to carry on the legacy (Genesis 12). There was one issue – Abraham had no children. To make matters more challenging, he and his wife were old, and she was barren. The Bible even mentions that their bodies were as good as dead. Imagine that.
God got even more specific with this promise three chapters later in Genesis 15, where he told Abraham to look up into the night sky and count the stars. As infinite as the stars, are just as many descendants he would eventually have. It’s important to note that prior to having children, Abraham was a rich very man. Have you ever been in a season where things were good, productive, fruitful and abundant, but there was one thing missing? The one thing you long for, but have no control over. This was Abraham’s experience. He was rich, he had family, he had abundance, he had love, but he had no children to carry on his legacy. In that culture, the number of children you had was a sign of status and wealth. The more children, specifically boys, the wealthier and more influential you were. God had prospered Abraham in every area except one – the one area that was most valuable in his day and time.
After God told Abraham more than once that his desire of being a father would be fulfilled beyond his wildest dreams, Abraham still had a question: How will I know? This question comes after one of the most quoted scriptures in Abraham’s faith story, found in Genesis 15:6 “Abram [Abraham] believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.” Even after Abraham believed, he had questions. He understood the what of God’s promise, but the howwas unclear. Abraham was like a lot of us (well me, for sure) – the what only makes sense in light of how. God was going to handle the how. He wanted Abraham to embrace and cooperate with what and not concern himself with how. God’s response to Abraham’s suspicion was a covenant. Notice that God had already given Abraham a promise, but to up the ante, He made a covenant. Our society has lost the true understanding of what a covenant is. It is a formal, sacred, binding and solemn agreement. The word promise in scripture means to say or declare. The root of the word covenant means to cut. A promise is a statement. A covenant is a decisive, sacred agreement and/or alliance that bears consequences if broken. I share this so that you can begin to wrap your mind around the significance and power of God’s word. This God, who is a covenant keeping God, is not like man that lies and changes his or her mind (Numbers 23:19). It is impossible for God to lie! If you are unclear about what happened with Abraham, take a look in the mirror. You and I are products of God’s incredible promise to Abraham. There was quite the rollercoaster of experiences that happened from the time the promise was given, until it began to unfold, BUT one thing is sure: God’s word proved true.
What desires reside in your heart, that you may have left behind or forgotten about because the thought of them hurt too much? What longings do you have that you have been waiting on God to satisfy?
God made me a very personal promise 11 ½ years ago. A promise that sits deeply in my heart, but is yet out of my control. Through many tears, questions, doubts, suspicions, testing, disappointment and toil, I have simply decided to trust God with the how. I speak His word over the how. I remind Him that His name, His character and the integrity of heaven is on the line (Isaiah 48:11 – this is a GOOD one to remind God of when He made you a promise). Afterall, I (like Abraham) didn’t come up with this myself!
The caveat to experiencing the fulfillment of God’s promises is that they must be from God. Often times, our desires run wildly unsubmitted to and unchecked by God. Once you are aware of what God has promised you, lay hold of your treasure through trusting Him and standing on His word. God’s word is powerful. It is a sword that conquers – use it. God’s word (aka the Bible) is full of promises in which He has stamped His YES. Our job is to search them out, embrace them and say AMEN. Through this, God will be glorified.
Let’s do some inventory of what you are desiring, what God is wanting to do for, in and through you...
REFLECT & RESPOND
What are you waiting on/desiring God to do that has yet to happen? Write out a list.
What has God said to you about the above desires/things you are waiting on?
What scriptures are you standing on that correlate with what you are waiting for?
What signs has God given you to confirm that He will do what he said?
Write out a list of ways that you have seen God answers words he has spoken to you in the past.
PRAY
God I trust you! Help me to embrace your word with full persuasion that you will uphold your good name and fulfill every word you have spoken to and over me. Show me all the YES’s that you have spoken over my life so that I can lay hold of them. Highlight in your word the promises that you desire for me to cling to.
Amen.
