Where Is My Promise?
Do you have promises from God that you feel haven’t been fulfilled yet? Do you feel like the season of fulfillment has passed you by? Are you disappointed that your dreams have not been realized? Are you tired of the feeling of circling the airport and never landing? #metoo
At one time or another we have all held onto a promise we feel God has given us, whether it’s having a child, buying your own home, a healing we need, a prophetic word we’ve been given of something to come or finding the right spouse. God’s word is full of promises that we can hold onto. But what happens when they don’t seem to ever happen or in the time frame we thought they would?
Genesis 17:15-17 promised, “God also said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah. I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her.” Abraham fell facedown; he laughed and said to himself, “Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?” This is a pretty big thing God is promising.
Then in Hebrews 11:11 we are shown "By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised." It took twenty years for their promise to show up…sometimes delay is just part of our process…that’s the hard part! But in the delay there is his amazing grace!
Let’s look a little closer at this verse… “By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised.” Sarah knew her and Abraham’s bodies were long past childbearing; they were old! She knew that if God didn’t come through it would not happen. She CHOSE to judge God as faithful.
In any promise we are given we have to choose; will we believe God to come through, or will we choose to look at our circumstances and what we can SEE? It seems a little easier to believe God at first when we get that long awaited promise of things to come, but then there is the waiting…what’s with all this waiting business anyway?!?! I mean “instant” is a real word right?
It’s so very easy to get disappointed when what we thought was coming doesn’t arrive on schedule. Our schedule. Lets be honest, when God gives us a promise He doesn’t usually give us the due date. But we seem to figure out a way to put expectations and limitations on what he promises; and then flip out when our due date passes us by.
As we see Sarah, choosing to stand in faith, she judged God faithful and that is what brought her promised child to her arms. God had done his part by giving the promise; but we always have a part to play in the equation. We must take God at his word and apply our faith and perseverance to his promises to see them come to pass.
Are you waiting for God to show up with your promise, your answer, your whatever? Can you make it come any faster by worrying, complaining or getting frustrated? Ummm NO! I’m waiting on some big big stuff from God too so I understand. But…I’ve chosen to take God at his word, stand on faith, and refuse to look at my current circumstances and wait.
My friend God is for you, working behind the scenes to fulfill his promise to you. Don’t ever give up, never lose hope, because HE who promised IS faithful and HE is still working for you…