God's Promises

A lot of life seems to be about waiting. And waiting sometimes feels like a form of suffering. God’s word says in Romans (5:3-5), that suffering leads to perseverance, that produces character, that births hope.

There we hover… in the hope… our faith getting a workout.

Yet, the culmination of the above mentioned verse says: hope does not disappoint.

In other words, God keeps His promises, which in turn means, He answers our prayers.

T.D. Jakes said in his Easter sermon this past April that hope is good, but we need a harvest.

God knows that. And He’s good for it.

Sometimes, I settle for the limbo – the state of hovering hope – and stop expecting the answer, the harvest.

Each step found in the verses above is important. We must endure the suffering to gain the perseverance. We must apply perseverance to display character. Exercising character allows us to enjoy the hope.

But don’t stop there. The hope is for a reason too - the answer!

Yes, yes, I know, the answer could be ‘no.’ Fine.

But we serve a Father God Who will not give us a stone when we ask for a loaf of bread, or a snake if we ask for a fish. (Matt. 7:8-10)

I read Psalm 105 this morning, and God highlighted this for me.

As many of them do, this psalm tells the history of the Israelites as a reminder of God’s faithfulness.

The first thing I noticed is in verse 8: He [God] always stands by His covenant- (ital. mine)

I don’t know about you, but if I really believe that, what a comfort it is!

Secondly, there is a section in Psalm 105 about Joseph. (Read Joe’s story in Gen. 37-50) Here’s a quick summary: The next to youngest brother in a clan of twelve has a dream and tells his siblings that one day they will bow to him. Jealous and incensed, his brothers sell him into slavery and tell his father that he died. The slave caravan goes to Egypt where Joseph is sold, put to work, falsely accused of rape and imprisoned. Eventually, after even more hardships and unfair circumstances, Pharaoh lets him out of jail and places him in charge of pretty much everything, so that when there’s a famine back home and his brothers come looking for food in Egypt, they, without recognizing him, bow down to him. Dream fulfilled.

So this Psalm also summarized Joseph’s life, but relays it from God’s perspective.

It says that Joseph, though sold as a slave, was sent to Egypt. Though chained, the time came for his dreams to be fulfilled. That the meantime was God’s test of Joseph’s character! And once he was set free, he was free indeed. He became his own boss.

This story assures us that God keeps His promises, no matter what the wait-time looks or feels like. He has an appointed time for our dreams to be fulfilled. And when that happens, it’s always better than we ever imagined.

What answers to prayers are you waiting for? Hold fast. God’s good for it.

Be blessed, Dry Ground friends! Thanks for spending some time with me today!

(photos by photobucket.com)