Spring Devotion #2 – Promises for Keeps!

Scripture: “God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?” – Numbers 23:19

Examination of chapter: King Balak is ordering the prophet Balaam to curse Israel, but the prophet refuses to do so. Instead, the Lord instructs Balaam to bless Israel demonstrating His faithfulness to keeping His promise to preserve and protect His chosen people.

Application: Springtime is a time of promise that life will continue. I had cut back some of my roses a few months ago, and now I notice there are lots of new buds on the bushes! It promises to be a very beautiful flower garden in just a few days!

The Bible is full of promises that God has made throughout all of its pages. Some are glorious and tell of a wonderful future with Him, while others are harsh warnings of judgment that one day come to pass. Many promises that God made have already been fulfilled, and because of that, we can be assured that all the other promises He has made will most certainly come to fruition in His appointed time.

Here are a few of God’s promises that He has already fulfilled.

1. Promise of a son to Abraham – “And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him.” – Genesis 17:19
   1. Fulfillment – “For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him. And Abraham called the name of his son that was born unto him, whom Sarah bare to him, Isaac.” – Genesis 21:2-3
2. Promise of deliverance from Babylonian captivity – “For thus saith the LORD, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place.” – Jeremiah 29:10
   1. Fulfillment – “Now these are the children of the province that went up out of the captivity, of those which had been carried away, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away unto Babylon, and came again unto Jerusalem and Judah, every one unto his city;” – Ezra 2:1
3. Promise of a Messiah – “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” – Isaiah 7:14
   1. Fulfillment – “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.” – Luke 2:11
4. Promise of the resurrection of Jesus – “Saying, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be delivered unto the chief priests, and unto the scribes; and they shall condemn him to death, and shall deliver him to the Gentiles: And they shall mock him, and shall scourge him, and shall spit upon him, and shall kill him: and the third day he shall rise again.” – Mark 10:33-34
   1. Fulfillment: “He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.” – Matthew 28:6

Here are some promises that God has yet to fulfill, but will do so in the future.

1. Promise of salvation through Christ alone – “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” – Acts 4:12
2. Promise of eternal life – “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” – John 3:16
3. Promise of Jesus coming again – “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” – John 14:3
4. Promise of a future without sorrow for believers – “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” – Revelation 21:1
5. Promise of judgment – “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.” – 2 Corinthians 5:10
6. Promise of salvation from God’s anger – “For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,” -1 Thessalonians 5:9

God never lies, and if He promises He will do something, you can be sure He will. When He makes a promise, it’s for keeps!

Memory Verse: “Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)”  – Hebrews 10:23

Stretching your thoughts:

1. Sometimes it’s hard to wait for God to fulfill a promise. What would you say to someone who is struggling with waiting?

2. What do you do when waiting on God to fulfill a promise becomes difficult?

Standing on the promises of Christ, my King!
Through eternal ages let His praises ring.
"Glory in the highest!" I will shout and sing, standing on the promises of God.

Standing, standing, standing on the promises of God, my Savior;
Standing, standing, I’m standing on the promises of God.

Standing on the promises that cannot fail!
When the howling storms of doubt and fear assail,
By the living Word of God I shall prevail, standing on the promises of God.

Standing, standing, standing on the promises of God, my Savior;
Standing, standing, I’m standing on the promises of God.

(from “Standing on the Promises” by Russell Kelso Carter)