I am not impressed by promises, more than that- I am quite put off by them. Not that my life has been a series of neglected pledges, but like everyone I have been the recipient of promises unfulfilled.
It has been my experience that most promises fall into one of three categories:
1. Insincere- The promise made with no intention of follow-through
2. Flippant- The promise made too lightly, often the promise-maker changes their
mind or forgets when it comes time to provide
3. Over-zealous- The promise that is sincere, but the promise-maker is unable to
deliver or deliver completely
But then there is the uncategorizable God, a God who makes bold promises. He has been convicting me of my tendency to respond to His promises with the same caution and skepticism as I do those of man, with the lingering thought “Well, that would be nice, but we’ll just wait and see…”
“God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man that he should change his
mind. Does he speak and not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?” -Numbers 23:19
No! No, He does not speak and not act. No, He does not promise and not fulfill.
My Lord is never guilty of the insincere promise. “For no matter how many promises God has made, they are ‘Yes’ in Christ…” -2 Corinthians 1:20
My Lord does not toss out flippant promises, only to change His mind. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.” – Hebrews 13:8 Nor does He forget them. “I will remember my covenant between me and you…” -Genesis 9:15
My Lord will never out-promise His power. “Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine…” -Ephesians 3:20
A promise is only as good as the one who makes it. And He is the one whose promises are sure.
