Standing on the promises I 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
This past week has been a rough one physically. Thankfully, I am home this month so, although I have a lot of work to do, I can pace myself and spend more time resting and praying if I need to. Even so, it’s easy to become fearful. Will I be able to do the conferences? What if I can’t pull my weight? I think of the song the Freemans sang in the 1980s: “Always, yes, always, He knows what’s best for me.” And so I rest in that, trusting that He will give me strength when I need it.
We hear a lot about standing on God’s promises, and this is often what gets me through the hard times in life. But I think of people who walk away from God because they feel like He has let them down as if He lied to them in some way or didn’t reward them adequately for their “service” to Him. I imagine this is in large part due to people claiming promises that are not theirs to claim. In the words of Dottie Rambo, “He never promised my heart would not be broken, but He did say He’d mend it again.”
There are promises we can stand on:
“Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you‘” (Hebrews 13:5).
“All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out” (John 6:37).
“Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you” (James 4:8).
You may not become wealthy or famous but, if you are God’s child, He will provide your every need, which is not to be confused with your every want. And He will walk with you through every trial that you face.
God may have spoken to your heart that you will be healed or that your child will come to know Him or something personal to comfort you in the midst of a trial. If He has, then by all means, cling to that. Remind yourself of that when the situation looks hopeless. But if God does not answer that prayer, acknowledge that it must have been your wishful thinking. And there is nothing wrong with thinking positively … unless you then become angry with God for not doing what you thought He was obligated to do.
Father, forgive us for acting like spoiled children. When everything is going well, it’s easy to be “up” and praising You, but the minute something bad happens, we feel like You let us down when, in reality, You still have a plan for each of our lives. Help us to trust You, knowing You will keep your promises but also realizing that You are God, and we are not. Your ways are not our ways. I expect this year will be like all the others–full of joys and trials. Help us to praise you continually, for you truly are a good, good Father. We love You. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
(Beginning song quoted from the hymn, “Standing on the Promises”)
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