God, Our Promise-Keeper

God has given us many promises. We can trust Him to keep those promises, and do all that is necessary to bring those promises to pass. He will move heaven and earth, He will raise up nations and depose rulers, He will use all the hosts of heaven to accomplish what He has determined and declared He will do.

He gave His Son, Jesus, whom He loves above all others, both of Them knowing the Father would not be able to rescue His Son at the time of Jesus' greatest need, all for the sake of fulfilling His promise to us.

Lamentations 3:22 Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail.

If we look around us and occasionally have difficulty seeing the evidence of those promises in the confusion of our daily schedule, it's okay. God has not reneged on or forgotten about the plan He has purposed for us and dropped into our hearts to encourage us and give us hope. His focus has not wavered an iota; He has not blinked.

Lamentations 3:24 I say to myself, "The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for Him"

God's promise is not like a present given at a birthday party where all we do is tear open the wrapping and suddenly have a new toy or book or clothes ready to start using. God's promises are eternal, and cannot be fully realized in the material existence we currently inhabit. That is why He promises eternal life as part of our salvation. We have been spiritually dead and living through our carnal nature, our fleshly appetites, thinking only about things that perish, so God is hard at work in each of our lives, wooing us into the eternity He inhabits.

Lamentations 3:25 The Lord is good to those whose hope is in Him, to the one who seeks Him;

His Word renews our minds and thoughts, His Spirit teaches us His eternal truth and transforms us into the image of God's Son, our Head and Redeemer, that we can be a fit vessel for God's name, His nature, to indwell us, that He may present to Himself a Bride without spot, wrinkle, or blemish. When I look at myself, I see a lot I have to let go of and leave behind; but I also see the Father who is fully capable of completing the job without straining His resources and without doing me harm.

Lamentations 3:26 It is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.

Any training program that we embark on will stretch us and cause pain as muscles are used in new ways. We will be worn out and exhausted from the additional energy we put into practicing what we are being taught. We may give up favorite foods or miss a favorite tv or radio series because of the extra time needed to run more laps or practice playing the scales a few more times. But the training and practice that we undergo at the hands of our tutor does not do us harm -- it builds us up, makes us stronger, more capable, more certain with what we are learning.

Lamentations 3:33 For He does not willingly bring affliction or grief to the children of men.

If we look at the chaos that appears to swirl around us, we don't have to worry about where God is. It is His hand beneath us, holding us up and sustaining us, in full control. The tumult and turmoil is only at the surface -- move into the secret place inside yourself and meet with the Master, grow strong and calm and feel the assurance of His love. He won't let you fall, He won't abandon you. He will see you through. Simply rely on Him and trust Him to fulfill His promise to you, completely.

Psalms 102:27 But You remain the same, and Your years will never end.
Hebrews 1:12...But You remain the same, and Your years will never end.

Loving and eternal Father, You are the Master Trainer. You bring us into Your realm, and share Yourself with us. You are not daunted by how far we have to go to be fit subjects in Your kingdom. You are set for the long haul and have no intention of dropping us part way or growing bored or frustrated when we seem not to be making progress. Your loving kindness is everlasting. We will not wear You out or discourage You or annoy You. Give us the grace today to see a little further into Your plan, to look past the immediate circumstances and find Your hand of love surrounding us. Thank You for Your promises.

3J30G08U