Promises - Promises!

" Remember Thy word unto Thy servant,
upon which Thou hast caused me to hope. "


If I am like most Believers, there are many things I know God has told me, no, promised me in the past. Is it a sin to remind God of His promises? Is it possible that He may have forgotten what He said? May it never be!


Men lie; God does not! While in the waiting period, things are happening to us that we often cannot perceive. God said He led the Children of Israel into the Wilderness to test them; to see what was in their heart. If He is God does He not already know what is in our heart? Yes, He does. But do WE know what is in our heart?


Our feelings have such an effect on our faith that we do not realize how much feeling influence our daily lives. Is it possible to have the exact opposite happen of what we expect to happen, and yet we still do not lose heart, or lose faith? Is it possible to reach the place of comfort and peace of a man like the prophet Habakkuk when he says in his last chapter that even if the fig trees do not blossom, the fields yield no fruit, there is no herd in the stall, STILL I will rejoice in the LORD? Was this man even human?


I feel very few Believers reach the point of this man of God. Our society laughs and scorns such thoughts. We're of the mindset that if our cheese burger and large fries are not ready when we pull to the drive through window to pay for our order, we are ready to sue the company. How can people of such a mindset even begin to comprehend the ways of God?


They cannot! It is impossible! Yet the majority of Believers fall into this category. I pull myself up by the nap of my neck and my bootstraps daily to keep trusting in His promises in His Book to those who believe on Him.


I am going to make a very bold statement - When this thing is all over, I'm very confident I will thank my Father in Heaven that He did NOT answer most of my prayers. If I were not in debt up to my eyeballs as the recent TV commercial says, how could I begin to comprehend a nation on the very edge of bankruptcy with millions of unemployed with no where to turn? Our State of WV this week sent letters to tens, possibly hundreds of thousands of people saying there is no money left to extend unemployment benefits; no further checks will be coming!


If I have not battled with an addition of cigarettes, how can I understand someone who has addictions themselves and wants to be delivered? If I did not have unanswered prayers, how can I look someone in the eye and still say God hears and answers prayers, just hang on; do not lose heart. If every prayer I ever prayed was answered when I thought it should be, if I had tens of thousands of dollars laid aside for a rainy day, if I always felt good and was always in good health, how does that glorify God? Does it take having every prayer answered when we want for God to
"buy" our loyalty? Is that what it is all about? Serve my God and He will give you things like He has given me? What kind of God is that? Does He have to pay those who love Him for their loyalty to Him? If we do not get what we want when we want it we will stop loving Him? To tell you the truth, I would not want someone of that mindset to even think about loving me!


God said in the last days that there would be a people in the midst of the fires that glorify Him! That brings Him glory; not having every whim and prayer answered. He said time and again that He is touched with the feelings of our infirmities; that our walls, no matter what that wall is, are always before Him. He could speak a word and the walls would disappear. Why does He not speak that work immediately when we ask? He could, you know.


I feel there are several reasons. We learn very important lessons, eternal lessons while on God's "waiting list". Even Christ had unanswered prayers. He prayed that if it was the Father's will to let the cup of death, rejection and torment pass from Him. It was not the Father's will. The Prophet Daniel was given visions that made his heart ache to know the meaning of the visions. God told Daniel to seal the book until the time of the end; it was not to be revealed to Daniel. The Apostle Paul sought that his thorn in the flesh be removed; God told Paul that His strength was sufficient. Paul learned that in his weakness, God was made strong. God was glorified through Paul's thorn.


Is He glorified in our thorn, whatever that may be?



Psalm 119:49-54 gives a snap shot of our lot on this earth. " Remember the word unto Thy servant, upon which Thou hast caused me to hope. This is my comfort in my affliction; for Thy word hath quickened me. The proud have had me greatly in derision; yet I have not declined from Thy law. I remember The judgements of old, O LORD; and have comforted myself...."


God remembers His words to us. We are His servants. His word causes us to hope. His word gives great comfort during our affliction. It quickens us; gives us hope and strength and the desire to continue in our walk with Him. The proud do have us in derision yet we do not act as they do. Our humility and dependence upon God and His promises will witness against the proud on the great day of judgement.


Like the Psalmist, we must remember God's judgments of old. God does not change, He remains forever. He will deliver His children and will give us just exactly what we need. Do not be discouraged, be encouraged! He hears every prayer whether spoken aloud to Him or in the groaning of our spirit. He is faithful and true to meet all of our needs.


In His time, we will wake up one day and will be changed into His likeness! A body likened unto His. Eternal and secure to be with Him forever and evermore. That, dear friend, is a promise we did not invent; it is His promise to all who love Him.