For the next several weeks we will be exploring biblical promises. I look forward to searching the Scriptures for life-changing, hopeful promises God has made to those who trust in Him. Digging in the Word for things to share with you bolsters my faith in and love for God, and I hope what I discover will do the same for you.
Some estimates say there are as many as 8,000 promises found in the Bible. Some of the promises are between people or nations but the majority of them in the Old Testament are God’s promises to Israel. As you know, God also made promises to individuals like Abram, Sara, Moses, and others concerning His plans to bless them.
The Psalms are a great repository of promises I use to remind myself that God is my help when I’m anxious or need guidance and reassurance. The the New Testament also contains promises we rely on for daily strength and guidance. The Bible is filled with promises our loving Father makes to all who love Him and seek to do His will.
Before getting into the promises we will be exploring and what they mean to everyday living, I want to raise three questions.
- What is a promise?
- Why are promises necessary and important to us?
- How do you know when a promise will be kept?
So, let’s begin with this question, “What is a Promise?”
As you will see in this short video, people of different backgrounds and ages don’t seem to have a very clear idea answer of what a promise is….. https://www.google.com/search?q=What+is+a+promise%3F&rlz=1CAPKUQ_enUS1060&oq=What+is+a+promise%3F&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIKCAEQABixAxiABDIHCAIQABiABDIHCAMQABiABDIHCAQQABiABDIHCAUQABiABDIHCAYQABiABDIHCAcQABiABDIHCAgQABiABDIHCAkQABiABNIBCTI3MjM5ajBqNKgCALACAQ&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:28afd01a,vid:8bZGtgu7vVw,st:0
What do you think a promise is? The elderly man in the video said he and his wife of fifty years made a promise to each other when they got married. They made specific statements about what they would do for each other in their marriage. They promised to be faithful to each other, to love and honor each other so long as both should live.
The word “promise” comes from a Latin word which means “to send forward or to send before.” A promise is something said or implied that we intend to do, an expectation of something in the future that the person receiving the promise can depend on. A promise sets up an expectation that something will happen or be done.
Giving your “word” to someone is a serious matter. How many times have you experienced disappointment because someone did not follow through on what they said they would do? Giving our word in a matter is the same as a promise because it tells about an intended action and sets up an expectation.
Your “word” is a promise. Do you guard your words in this way, are you careful about making promises?
It’s time to explore the second question, “Why are promises important and necessary to us?”
Promises are necessary for conducting everyday life and business. There are all kinds of ways promises can be made; contracts, marriage vows, oaths to truthful testimony, texts, phone calls, a personal “to-do” list we make to ourselves, or letters in which we give our word or sign our name to agree to do something. You cannot live without knowing what to expect from other people. We make a promise whenever we give our word about something we say we will or will not do. Promises are necessary for conducting everyday life and business.
Promises are important because they help or hurt our ability to trust each other. Trust is essential in marriage, child-rearing, friendships, professional/client, teacher/student, business/customer, government/citizen/, or employer/employee. Each of these relationships thrives or suffers in proportion to how promises are kept or broken. We depend on the word or promise of others to be able to conduct everyday life and business. When a promise is broken, trust suffers and we begin to lose confidence and hope in that person, government, or business.
Keeping our word is essential if we are to have trusting, dependable relationships. Sadly, we are in a crisis of confidence in our government, many of our institutions, and perhaps in personal relationships because “promises” are not followed by appropriate actions.
The final question is, “How do you know when a promise will be kept?”
One of life’s greatest blessings is having people in your life who love you enough to try to tell you the truth. Some of us have been fortunate enough to have parents who were people of solid, dependable character. They did not make promises they knew they could not keep.
For example, growing up on a farm with plenty of fields for riding, I believed the Shetland pony advertised in a Sears and Roebuck catalog for $500.00 was what I needed to help me become a real cowboy like Roy Rogers or Gene Autrey. I lost count of the times I asked for that pony with the hope they would give into my pestering, but they never made that commitment or implied they would do it.
What was the problem here? Why wouldn’t they promise to buy me the pony? Didn’t they love me enough to do that for me? Of course, they loved me, so much they wouldn’t make a hasty promise to set up false hopes and the excruciating disappointment when that promise didn’t materialize.
They would not promise because of two things. First, they didn’t have $50.00 to spare, let alone $500.00 to fulfill their child’s fantasy. Next, their character would not allow them to lead me to believe in and hope for something they could not do.
How do you know when a promise will be kept? My parents had the honesty of character to refuse to make a promise they could not keep.
Promises are kept when two things align. First, the person making the promise has the ability or resources. Second, they must possess the dependability of character to do what they say.
God’s ability and character will overwhelm you as we explore some biblical promises in the coming weeks!