Week of April 20, 2008
by Margaret D. Mitchell
“You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what He has promised.” ~Hebrews 10:36
God purposes the timing and manifestations of His promises. Though some seem a long time coming, they are not. Though the wait may feel like God has forgotten, He has not. God’s timing is perfect, and His patience is great.
Consider Elizabeth and Mary. Despite their great difference in age, both women were pregnant with promised sons simultaneously. The timing of each pregnancy was purposed according to God’s plan as was their children’s destinies.
What has God promised you? Has He delivered yet? How’s your faith?
2 Peter 3:8 says, “a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.”
Perseverance in obedience is the key to receiving the promises of God. And when we get off track, repentance is key.
In Psalm 119, we see that God gives us hope through His promises (vs. 49). He preserves our lives through His promises (vs. 50). He supplies us with grace according to His promises (vs. 58). And we are to meditate on and rejoice in His promises (vs. 148, 162).
God's heart within us and the fulfillment of His promises allow us to forgive those who disappointed us on a greater level. When we expect people, not God, to fulfill promises only God can fulfill, we must repent and release them to Him. False expectations can hold us in bondage and cause us to miss God’s very best for our lives.
What have you expected and have not yet received? How are you handling the situation? Are you praising God throughout the process? Has your mind been on Him or on your circumstances? How about your heart? Do you know that God loves you enough to bring fulfillment, to be true to His word. Do you trust Him enough?
Have you asked God what His will is? Have you asked Him what you are supposed to complete before He fulfills His promise?
The fulfillment of God’s promises points toward Him as the one true God. David’s prayer in 2 Samuel 7:25-26 says, “And now, Lord God, keep forever the promise You have made concerning Your servant and His house. Do as You promised, so that Your name will be great forever. Then men will say, ‘The Lord Almighty is God over Israel!’ And the house of Your servant David will be established before You.”
When God fulfills His promises, do we give Him all the glory? Is it all about Him? Is He first on our hearts?
Psalm 145:13 says, “The Lord is faithful to all His promises and loving toward all He has made.”
Jeremiah 32:19 says, “great are Your purposes and mighty are Your deeds. Your eyes are open to all the ways of men; You reward everyone according to his conduct and as his deeds deserve.”
May we receive the full measure of God’s promises by being obedient to His will.
