Promises of God
*This was written about a worship service last week.
Tomorrow is the last time I get to lead worship at English
congregation I attend. I have so enjoyed
the opportunity to lead worship here, getting to share my worship with
worshippers from all over the world, with various traditions and music styles
to learn and experience. Regardless of
where I lead worship next year, I will miss the diversity of people and worship
styles that we experience in this congregation.
As I was praying about what theme to focus on tomorrow, I
was repeatedly struck by the word “Promises.”
God’s promises will carry us through whatever difficult times we face.
God’s promises stick out because of the vast contrast that God’s promises
present to human promises; His are always true, one hundred percent of the
time, where as human promises often fail.
Politicians promise to implement these great reform measures, yet fail
to find funding in their government.
People promise to love each other when they get married, yet 50% of
marriages end in divorce. Employers
promise higher pay, greater experiences, better benefits to get people to move
jobs, only to realize they don’t have the money or personnel to live out these promises. In very, very few places of the human
condition can humans actually carry out their promises.
This fact makes God’s promises carry much more weight; His
promises are always true, every second of every day. He lists hundreds of promises in the Bible,
and every day He keeps all of them. These
promises are such a source of strength through the issues in life. These are just some of His promises I have
been relying on throughout the last few months:
-“Those who
hope in the Lord will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles, they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint (Isaiah 40:31).”
-“When you
pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the
rivers, they will not sweep over you (Isaiah 43:2).”
-“If my
people who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my
face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will
forgive their sin and will heal their land (2 Chronicles 7:14).”
-“Therefore
I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it,
and it will be yours (Mark 11:24).”
-“Have I
not commanded you? Be strong and
courageous. Do not be afraid, do not be
discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go (Joshua 1:9).”
-“And we
know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have
been called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28).”
These promises of God are true yesterday, today, and
forever. The greatest power of the
universe will never leave or forsake us, and always hear our prayers and work
situations out for our God. What an
amazing promise these are! This list
misses so many other powerful promises of God; there is simply no way I could
write all of His promises into one blog post.
Tomorrow, during worship, it is my goal to paint a picture
that God’s promises will always carry us through the hard times. No one wanted to deal with all of the issues
we are dealing with, but if these times help us to greater understand the
promises of God, we have learned a valuable lesson through the struggle. Only if we are focused on these amazing
promises, coming together to pray and worship, will we begin to see His power
transform our current situation.
Luke Forshey
May 19, 2017
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