Often Unnoticed

"God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?" Numbers 23:19

According to a popular Christian website, "There are many, many promises of God in Scripture. In each promise, God pledges that something will (or will not) be done or given or come to pass. These are not flippant, casual promises such as we often make; these promises of God are rock-solid, unequivocal commitments made by God Himself. Because God is faithful, the recipients of the divine promises can have full assurance that what God has pledged will indeed be realized." The article continues to list the promises of God in the Old Testament, New Testament and in the Gospels. Some of the promises listed are that "God promised blessing for all who will delight themselves in His Word (Psalm 1:1–3). Simple faith has its rewards." "God promised that all things will work out for good for His children (Romans 8:28). This is the broader picture that keeps us from being dismayed by present circumstances." "Jesus promised abundant life to those who follow Him (John 10:10). Following Jesus brings us more spiritual fulfillment than we could have anticipated. We leave boring behind." These promises are encouraging and comforting to those of us who take pride in what God has said. To be reminded that the promises of our God are "not flippant" and "rock-solid," should embolden Christians to continue to live their lives and share the Gospel with confidence. The writer of the article is convinced by these promises to the point that they say things like, "Simple faith has its rewards" and "Following Jesus brings us more spiritual fulfillment than we could have anticipated." There were many more promises that were listed in the article and each one of them was of a positive nature written with the purpose of making the reader feel good. If you do a simple search on the internet for the promises of God you will see results like, "Over 50 Encouraging Bible Verses and Scriptures" and "God's Word contains literally thousands of Bible promises waiting to be claimed in faith." Again, all of these are geared towards focusing on promises that are encouraging and uplifting. While there is nothing wrong about this, there are other promises of God that often go unnoticed, but are just as "rock-solid" and which are "not flippant." However, these promises, on the surface, may not be so comforting to the reader.

In the Old Testament, God said, "if you do not obey the Lord your God and do not carefully follow all his commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will come on you and overtake you (Deuteronomy 28:15)." Simple disobedience has its rewards. In the New Testament, we read, "In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted (2 Timothy 3:12)." Following Jesus brings us more persecution than we could have imagined. And in the Gospels, Jesus Christ said, "He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous (Matthew 5:45)." This is the broader picture that keeps us grounded when present circumstances are not working out in our favor. These are just a few of the many promises of God that the recipients can have full assurance that what God has pledged will indeed be realized. There are not many Christians in a hurry to "claim" these promises, but for most of us, whether we have "claimed" them or not, they seem to have manifested themselves in our lives to one degree or another. They also seem to be more abundant in our lives than the positive promises seem to be. However, we should have no problem listing these promises right alongside the more positive ones. Why? Because they go hand in hand with each other. The one thing that should make us rejoice when it comes to the promises of God, regardless of whether they are positive or negative, is that they are true. Our failed attempts at being obedient to God prove that what He said is true. Christians are the most persecuted group in the world. While disheartening, it confirms God's promise of what would happen to us for having faith in Jesus Christ. Good and bad things happen to everybody all the time regardless of their faith in Christ or lack thereof. Again, this is just one more confirmation that what God has said is true. But, the best part of all is that the promises compliment each other. Knowing that His promises are true is a blessing that should make us delight in His word. If both the good and bad promises are coming to pass, it should give us hope that the promises regarding our eternity with Jesus Christ will soon come to pass as well. This is proof that all things will work out for the good of God's children. Ultimately, the promises of God remind us that the blessings and cursings we reap in the flesh pale in comparison to the abundant life we have been given through the indwelling Holy Spirit of God. A life that will remain with us forever! Knowing that the promises of God and His word are true should comfort us and encourage us regardless of whether our lives are boring or not.