Promise
Keeper
By Susan Klein
“The Lord is faithful to all his promises and loving toward all he has made.”
Psalm 145:13b
By Susan Klein
“The Lord is faithful to all his promises and loving toward all he has made.”
Psalm 145:13b
I
remember, as a girl, being in the Girl Scouts program. In our pledge, we
promised to do our duty to God and our country, to help other people at all
times and to obey the Girl Scout laws. Quite a lofty promise! One I’m sure I
didn’t always keep.
We hear people making promises all the time; elected officials, teachers, spouses, parents, clergy, our children...But do they always keep them? What about the child who promises to never be naughty again, the alcoholic who promises to never touch another drink, the spouse who promises to be more considerate, the President who promises to cut taxes and get our country out of debt.... While all of these may have the most honorable of intentions, their “promises” cannot always be trusted.
David, in the Psalms, promised to obey God’s words yet we know for a fact that he sinned against God by murdering an innocent man. The Israelites promised to trust and obey God when He delivered them out of Egypt, but they continually doubted and disobeyed Him. In our human efforts, we tend toward failure when it comes to keeping our promises. We let other people down and they let us down. We do succeed some of the time, but not all of the time.
Scripture shows us over and over again that God is the only real Promise Keeper, 100% of the time. Most of the references to the word “promise” in the Bible have to do with His divine promises to us. And many speak of His faithfulness in fulfilling those promises. He promises rest for the weary, answers to prayer, deliverance from our sins and troubles, power for our weakness, grace to sustain us, good to be worked out in all things for His divine purpose, unlimited spiritual blessings, a resurrected body and eternal security for believers. He makes promises to the afflicted, the believers, the humble, the generous, the obedient, the penitent, the poor, the seekers, and the tempted. His promises are unfailing, assured by His supernatural power, and of infinite value.
The Lord isn’t just faithful to some of His promises, but to all of His promises, because He is loving toward all He has made! And that includes you!
GOING DEEPER:
1. Are you struggling to trust in God’s promises, perhaps because other people in your life have disappointed you with their broken promises?
2. Are you willing to meditate on His promises, believing that He can and will do as He says?
FURTHER READING:
1 Kings 8: 56-58; 2 Corinthians 1:20, 7:1; 2 Peter 1:3-4; 1 John 2: 24-25
We hear people making promises all the time; elected officials, teachers, spouses, parents, clergy, our children...But do they always keep them? What about the child who promises to never be naughty again, the alcoholic who promises to never touch another drink, the spouse who promises to be more considerate, the President who promises to cut taxes and get our country out of debt.... While all of these may have the most honorable of intentions, their “promises” cannot always be trusted.
David, in the Psalms, promised to obey God’s words yet we know for a fact that he sinned against God by murdering an innocent man. The Israelites promised to trust and obey God when He delivered them out of Egypt, but they continually doubted and disobeyed Him. In our human efforts, we tend toward failure when it comes to keeping our promises. We let other people down and they let us down. We do succeed some of the time, but not all of the time.
Scripture shows us over and over again that God is the only real Promise Keeper, 100% of the time. Most of the references to the word “promise” in the Bible have to do with His divine promises to us. And many speak of His faithfulness in fulfilling those promises. He promises rest for the weary, answers to prayer, deliverance from our sins and troubles, power for our weakness, grace to sustain us, good to be worked out in all things for His divine purpose, unlimited spiritual blessings, a resurrected body and eternal security for believers. He makes promises to the afflicted, the believers, the humble, the generous, the obedient, the penitent, the poor, the seekers, and the tempted. His promises are unfailing, assured by His supernatural power, and of infinite value.
The Lord isn’t just faithful to some of His promises, but to all of His promises, because He is loving toward all He has made! And that includes you!
GOING DEEPER:
1. Are you struggling to trust in God’s promises, perhaps because other people in your life have disappointed you with their broken promises?
2. Are you willing to meditate on His promises, believing that He can and will do as He says?
FURTHER READING:
1 Kings 8: 56-58; 2 Corinthians 1:20, 7:1; 2 Peter 1:3-4; 1 John 2: 24-25
Susan is a We Women
Bible Study Coordinator and one of its teachers. She and her husband Mark enjoy
tutoring and working with inner-city youth.
