Most of us say yes, God keeps His promises.
But do we live as if God keeps His promises?
Do we even know His promises?
Today, God has laid it on my heart to remind you (and through writing remind myself) of the steadfast promises of God.
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Who is God?
Scripture, which is infallible, states that God is the Creator of the world (Genesis 1:1), the all-powerful teacher (Job 36:22-23), the perfect judge (Psalm 7:11), love itself (1 John 4:8), and the one who knows all things (Palm 139:1-24).
As the world's Creator, God has the right to rule over all things and direct them towards His glory. Biblical accounts of The Flood (Genesis 6 – 8), the Ten Plagues (Exodus 7-11), the parting of the Red Sea (Exodus 14), the sun stopping for a full day (Joshua 10:12-14), and Jesus performing miracles on countless people are examples of God governing Creation to magnify Himself.
Because God is able to govern Creation, He is able to keep the promises He makes through His Creation, such as protecting His people (Proverbs 29:5) and providing for their needs (Matthew 6:26-33), sometimes through supernatural means, such as dropping mana from heaven (Exodus 16:12-15).
Since God is the one who knows all things, He has the greatest understanding of what is good and evil. Therefore, He knows what is best for His people. God has the power, knowledge, ability, and authority to teach us about Himself through His promises. Job chapters 38 through 41 provides a vivid description of God speaking on the power and authority He has over finite man.
God, as all-powerful and all-knowing, thus has the infinite wisdom to remember His promises and every power at His disposal to keep His promises.
The Bible is also very clear that God is love Himself. He is love in the eternal and life-sacrificing sense of the word, giving up His only Son to save sinners (Isaiah 53:4-12), a promise which He made thousands of years prior in Genesis 3, right after mankind betrayed the perfection of God! God is love, meaning that He unconditionally pours into his people (Psalms 136), forgives people despite their iniquities (Luke 23:34), and remains with those He calls His bride and His children (Romans 8:12-17 and Revelation 21:9).
If God is loving, then surely He will abide with His people and keep His promises to them!
But what about God being the perfect judge? Would God keep His promises to those believers who rebel against Him? What about all the promises of God to condemn the wicked and discard those who do not abide in Him (John 15:6)?
Do we have to be good enough for God to keep His promises to us?
No, because God's steadfast commitment to His people is not based upon the performance of His people.
Countless Scriptures speak of the end for wicked people – Hell. Those who are not saved by the cross of Jesus Christ will be condemned. But for believers, Scripture says, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword…For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the lover of God in Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 8:35, 38-39). If nothing can separate us from God, what could stop His promises from being fulfilled to us?
Oftentimes, we believe sin disqualifies us from the blessings of God. If we don't meet our end of God's promises, if we don't obey as He desires us to obey, then we cannot receive anything good from God. But when we look at the first sentence of these verses, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ," we should include ourselves in the word "who." Our failures are not roadblocks from God! God has already defeated Satan, and demons and sin have no power over our Lord (Luke 8:26-33)! While it is true that God works through our obedience to His commands, our faithlessness could never stop God from keeping His word.
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Just as Hosea was faithful to Gomer, providing for her despite her unfaithfulness, so does God keep His promises to us. His word is not null or void. When He says "will" in Scripture, circle it, because that means whatever follows will come to pass.
Believer, when life seems dark, cling to a God whose promises are always, always true.
And if you don't believe in God? Know that God is someone you can trust with absolutely no chance of being betrayed. He can and will care for you if you come to Him.
Believe in the one who is Faithful.
May God speak through these words.
God Bless,
Sarah Matherly
