God’s Promises
- God promised Abraham that he and his descendants would inherit the Promised Land which is now modern day Israel.
- God also promised Abraham, “I will certainly return to you according to the time of life, and behold, Sarah your wife shall have a son” And the Lord visited Sarah as He had said, and the Lord did for Sarah as He had spoken. For Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him. (Genesis 18:10; 21:1, 2).
- God promised the Jewish people that He would deliver them from the land of Egypt where they were slaves. The people of Israel had lived in Egypt for 430 years. In fact, it was on the last day of the 430th year that all the Lord’s forces left the land. This night had been reserved by the Lord to bring his people out from the land of Egypt, so this same night now belongs to him. It must be celebrated every year, from generation to generation, to remember the Lord’s deliverance (Exodus 12:40-42).
- When Moses died and Joshua had to take over from him, God assured him, “Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9).
- God promised King David, “When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his Father, and he shall be My son. If he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men and with the blows of the sons of men. But My mercy shall not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I removed from before you. And your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you. Your throne shall be established forever” (2 Samuel 7:12-16). Solomon became king over all of Israel. It took him seven years to build the house of the Lord (1 Kings 4:1; 6:37).
During times of trouble and trials, God makes the following promises to all of us:
- “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you. I will uphold you with My righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10).
- “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine. Whey you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you. For I am the Lord your God” (Isaiah 43:1-3).
- “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye (Psalm 32:8).
- “Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you, says the Lord” (Jeremiah 29:12-14).
- “I will never leave you nor forsake you” This promise enables us to boldly say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?”(Hebrews 13:5, 6).
We can trust in the promises of God. They are always fulfilled. King David said, For He remembered His holy promise, and Abraham His servant. He brought out His people with joy, His chosen ones with gladness. He gave them the lands of the Gentiles, And they inherited the labor of the nations, that they might observe His statutes And keep His laws (Psalm 105:42-45).
“For when God made a promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, saying, “Surely blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply you.”* And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise. For men indeed swear by the greater, and an oath for confirmation is for them an end of all dispute. Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath, 18 that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we *might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us (Hebrews 6:13-18).
Abraham trusted in the promises of God. The apostle, Paul confirms this. “God’s promise is given to us as a free gift. And we are certain to receive it, whether or not we follow Jewish customs, if we have faith like Abraham’s. For Abraham is the father of all who believe. That is what the Scriptures mean when God told him, ‘I have made you the father of many nations.’ This happened because Abraham believed in the God who brings the dead back to life and who brings into existence what didn’t exist before.
“When God promised Abraham that he would become the father of many nations, Abraham believed him. God had also said, “Your descendants will be as numerous as the stars,” even though such a promise seemed utterly impossible! And Abraham’s faith did not weaken, even though he knew that he was too old to be a father at the age of one hundred and that Sarah, his wife, had never been able to have children.
“Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. He was absolutely convinced that God was able to do anything he promised” (Romans 4:16-21, NLT).
We can claim the promises of God, confident that we will receive them because God is faithful. He will never promise to do something and not follow through with it. It is better to trust in the promises of the Lord than in the promises of people, even those close to us.
What Does He promise?
- The Holy Spirit – “And now I will send the Holy Spirit, just as my Father promised. But stay here in the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven” (Luke 24:49, NLT).
- Salvation – “Each of you must turn from your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This promise is to you and to your children, and even to the Gentiles-all who have been called by the Lord our God” (Acts 2:28, 39, NLT).
- Kingdom – “Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?” (James 2:5)
- Life Eternal – “…in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began, but has in due time manifested His word through preaching (Titus 1:2, 3).
- Crown of Life – “Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him” (James 1:12).
- New Earth – “Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells” (2 Peter 3:13).
