God's Promises

Promise. It’s a simple word, but it has a lot of power to it. Many people use it, but only some actually fulfill it. Today I want to talk about some very important promises that will never fail nor fade. These promises come from God. I have grown up my whole life knowing about his promises, either through studying his word or hearing it in a sermon. Usually, I would just acknowledge them for about 2.2 seconds and then move on to something else. “Oh God is our stronghold (Psalm 27:1).. that’s cool..” I would tell myself, not even considering what that means and how I could use this promise in my life. Do you see how empty that is? God has promised us so many things, yet we never take hold of them.

These past couple of weeks I have been fixed specifically on two promises of God. The first is that God is with you always (Deuteronomy 31:8) and the second is that the Lord will fight for you in your stillness (Exodus 14:14). Ok, so how many people have heard the promise that God is with you always? If we were in a classroom setting right now I guarantee that all of you who are reading this would raise their hand. This is not something new to us. We have been taught this before, but how many of us really grasp this? When you look into this promise, it doesn’t take long to see that God knows you. God knows your thoughts and what you’re going through. He knows about all of those sleepless nights because you’re worried about school or corona (believe me I’ve been there). He knows the hurts, pain, and struggles you’ve had to deal with. He knows. He just knows. You know why? Because he is with you all the time. No take that back, he WANTS to be with you all the time! Why would he promise something that he doesn’t want to do? God is with you ALWAYS. How amazing is that!? The Creator of the universe wants to be with you all the time. You can talk to him whenever you want and it can be about anything and he’s ready to listen. You don’t even have to explain any situation to him, because he was there when it happened! How truly blessed we are to serve a God who enjoys our company and wants to be with us hour after hour and day by day. The second promise that I’ve been meditating on hit me hard. In Exodus 14:14 Moses states “The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.” I love the first part of that verse. No matter what fears and anxieties you’re going through the Lord will fight for you… and the best part is that he NEVER loses. The second part of the verse was hard for me at times. That is because it requires that I give over my control to the Lord and let him conquer my battles on his terms. When it comes to battle fighting, I want to be in control. I want to handle things my way and do them when I want to. Sitting still is hard for me. I want to know everything, but it’s not my job to. It’s his and his alone. God is at work, fighting our battles in invisible ways we cannot even begin to fathom because his ways are higher than ours. You can see this promise countless times throughout scripture. When this promise was spoken, the Israelites had just escaped from Egypt and were trapped between the Red Sea and the hundreds of chariots sent by Pharaoh to take them back. The Israelites were terrified! In their panic Moses told them two things. To have faith and to do nothing. Why? Because Moses knew that the Lord was with them and that anything the Israelites would’ve done wouldn’t have made a difference. It’s the Lord that makes a difference, not us. It was God that saved the Israelites, not themselves. We need to have faith that God is fighting our battles every single day, so that we can be still and give him full control. When I am in control it ends in disaster. It’s so much more refreshing to give over that burden of control to the one that can handle all things. These promises have taught me a lot about myself and the loving God I serve, but it doesn’t stop here. These are only two out of the many that he has graciously given us. Others include: forgiveness, eternal life, a new family, answered prayers, wisdom, peace, the Holy Spirit, and that he is our refuge and stronghold. My challenge for us all is to use these promises in our daily lives. God gave us these promises, now it’s our choice whether we want to accept them. What will you choose?

Written By: Sarah Sargent

2020 – 2021 BCM President

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed do not necessarily represent the NSU BCM but are solely those of the author(s).