On this Fourth of July, it could be easy for me to look back to even a year ago and ache a little for the things I had desired and enjoyed at that time. They were things that I hoped in and never saw come to fulfillment.
I believe we all do this at some point. We lose sight of the important things. Namely, our God and His character.
As soon as this started to cross my mind, I had an urge to write down just a few of the promises Jesus has made to me. In meditating and focusing on these oaths, I came to know my God more intimately, and just as He always promised, He offered me freedom again.
He has promised me…
That I will be fulfilled in relationship with Him (Luke 1:45). That I have an inheritance in Christ (Eph 1:11).That Christ himself has gone before me and made a place for me in heaven (John 14:3). That He is with me always (Zeph 3:17) – His Spirit inside me, transforming me (John 14:26-27, 2 Cor 3:18). He has promised that He has redeemed me and will continue to do so (Titus 2:14).
He has promised me…
To cleanse me of my past, present and future sins (1 John 1:9) and wash me white (Isa 1:18), seeing me as He see’s His Son (Col 1:21-22). That in the waiting I will become holy and like Christ (Eph 4:22-24). He has promised me that there will come a time when there will be no more tears, sickness of death (Rev 21:4).
He has promised me…
That He will supply for my needs according to His riches in glory in Christ (Phil 4:19) which is far more than my own – for I am bankrupt without Him (John 15:5). He has promised to provide for me (2 Cor 9:8-11) and reminds me often that He encamps around me (Psalm 34:7).
He has promised me…
A peace that surpasses all understanding in troubled times (Phil 4:6-7). To be with me in high waters and through the fires of life (Isa 43:2). To lead me and make my way when I become lost (Isa 43:19). To make my way perfect and to give me strength (Psalm 18:32). He has promised to lay a path so wide beneathe me that I cannot slip off (Psalm 18:36).
He has promised me…
Wisdom and knowledge (Dan 2:21), comfort (1 Cor 3-4), love (1 John 4:6-19), salvation (Titus 3:4-7) and refuge (Nahum 1:7).
But most importantly,
He has promised to come back for me.
(John 14:3, Heb 9:28).
That I will behold His glory with my own eyes (1 Thes 4:17, Psalm 27:13)
I will touch His scarred hands and worship at His scarred feet. I will see where they pierced His side with a sword. I will see Him in all His glory fully redeem everything to Himself (Col 1:20). I will see every knee bow and every mouth cry out that He is Lord and God (Phil 2:10, Rom 14:11).
For so long, I sought all of these promises in other things. In relationships with men, in being a source of refuge for others, in my successes and talents, in perception and reputation. I listen to songs that tell me to seek these promises in everything but Him. I read books that I wish were reality, when reality is a far better love story than any fantasy fiction novel.
And you know what? Sometimes I still seek fulfillment in things besides the Lord. But in His mercy and goodness, He has promised to redeem me to Himself, remove my sins as far as from the east is from the west and love me in spite of my adultery of Him. (Isa. 43)
And it leaves me asking…Why in the world would I ever seek something other than Him? He proves over and over again in scripture and history that the promises He makes, He makes good on (Deut. 7:9). These promises reveal His character. His Son walked the earth so that we could see, hear and touch the embodiment of God in all His fullness (Col 2:9, Heb 1:3).
There is nothing worth seeking more than God. There is no created thing that can even compare. Everything I seek after that isn’t Jesus is absolutely worth nothing without Him. In the words of Paul, it should ALL be counted as a loss except for Jesus. Even suffering for and with Him is greater than any false promise the world offers.
It also leaves me aching for those who don’t see, hear or understand who He is and what He’s done. It leaves me yearning to share this with the broken, and those who have never heard the name of Christ. It leaves me excited to hear and share the stories of God’s grace and love that He so mercifully and abundantly gives to those who accept and follow Him.
He in all His goodness and faithfulness continues to remind me of these things. His love has brought me to my knees, unable to stand under the weight of it. He continues to remind me that He is working in my past, present and future. He whispers daily of His love for me, whether I recognize it at first or not. He leaves me gifts that speak to the needs of my soul and not just the shallowness of my vanity. He has reconciled an old and broken friendship. He has taught me the freedom of living kingdom focused. He has provided for me from a lost luggage bag and money that basically appeared out of thin air, to physical and tangible blessings that healed brokenness I didn’t even know I had.
He promised me all of these things and more.
This is the God I serve, and I will stand anchored in the hope of His sure and stedfast promises He made to me and His kingdom (Heb. 6:19-20).
