Reflect

The story of the birth of Abraham and Sarah’s son, Isaac, should give us encouragement when we feel that our petitions to God are falling on deaf ears. Granted, people lived much longer lives in biblical times than we do now, but Abraham and Sarah still were too old by any stretch of the imagination to be having children. That God made good on the promise to bless this couple of greatly advance years with a child was miraculous indeed.

When God makes promises, they are promised of significance. Not, “I’ll see to it that your team wins in the playoffs,” or “Don’t worry, I’ll help you pass that test you didn’t study for,” but more along the lines of, “I will make you a success.” Of course, more often than not, God’s definition of success varies greatly from what we think would bring us success and make us happy. Our wants and desires for our lives are seldom what God has in mind. And our timetables are usually quite different, too. We want overnight success, while God knows we don’t need it and most likely wouldn’t appreciate it if we had it.

Think of something you desperately wanted, but received many years after you first started asking God for it. Would you have appreciated it sufficiently if you had received it any earlier? Most of the time, the answer would be “No.” If we will trust in God ‘s promises, we will be successful. God’s promises are not made lightly. In fact, God’s promises ensure that we are greatly enriched and that we in turn use those benefits to serve God and others. How could we be more successful than this?

—Carol Penn-Romine

Question

1. What has been your experience in the past with promises?
2. Have you ever broken a promise? How did it make you feel?
3. How do you view God as a present-day keeper of promises?

Act

1. During the next week, keep your ears open around others and see how often you hear the word promise used, Think about how it is used: Do people toss the word out casually, or do they use it with the respect such a word commands? Then write out your own personal statement about what the concept of making promises means, and work to apply it in your own life.
2. List three promises you have made in your life, and write a paragraph about each promise and a paragraph about your feelings toward each of them.
3. Pray to God, thanking God for the promises God makes to us and asking for God’s help in keeping your promises to God.

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