God Keeps His Promises

God Keeps His Promises
Genesis 17.15-19
"15 God also said to Abraham, "As for Sarai your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah. 16 I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her." 17 Abraham fell face down; he laughed and said to himself, "Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?" 18 And Abraham said to God, "If only Ishmael might live under your blessing!" 19 Then God said, "Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him."

We can learn a great deal of God's promises even from the earliest points in man's history. Even in Genesis we see God blessing His chosen people. God promises Abraham that He will "bless [Sarah] so that she will be the mother of nations." He furthers this by saying that not only will Abraham and Sarah be the ancestors of many nations, but that "kings of people will come from [them]." This is a bold promise. It seems so illogical and silly that Abraham couldn't help but laugh. We see that he "[falls] face down, [laughing] and [saying] to himself, 'Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old?'" Yet God's promises will be fulfilled. They are not only promises of the ancient past but promises for today! Beloved, God has laid out promises for your life and mine that will bless God, bless others, and bless ourselves.

We can learn two crucial things from God's promises. The first is that God's promises defy the impossible. Again, God's promises defy the impossible. The laws of aging may tell us that a woman may not "bear a child at the age of ninety," but God says it is possible. Beloved, this is where faith comes into play. If we are to trust God's promises it is crucial that we place our faith in Him. This often means believing the impossible. It often means believing that God can change that heart of that stubborn family member, friend, or co-worker. It often means God can heal the incurable disease. It often means God can and does bring a barren woman a child in her womb. Yes, God promises some outrageous things, but we have confidence that He is telling us the truth. Abraham's story is a testament to how trustworthy God is. Beloved, if God can give Sarah a child at age 90, then He can give us what He knows we need. That is not necessarily money or fame, but God's promises are always used for the furtherance of His will and for our good.

The second thing we must understand about God's promises is that we must trust God with our promises. What does this mean? It means doing the exact opposite of Abraham's initial reaction. Genesis tells us that "Abraham [falls] face down" and "[laughs] and says to himself, 'Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?'" It is easy for us to doubt God's promises, especially when they seem illogical, but God has proven time and time again that He can turn the water into wine; He can part the waters; He can wither the fig tree; He can raise the sick from the dead." Doubting Jesus will only cause us to sink like Peter into the water. We must trust that Christ's provisions for us will be provided. God is patient with us on this matter. Notice God's reaction when Abraham doubted. It is not anger or bitterness; it is God expecting the irrational, over-emotional reactions of human beings. He says firmly and surely, "Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac. Notice the verb tenses here: "[Sarah] WILL bear you a son, and you WILL call him Isaac. I WILL establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him." Beloved, we live with a God who not only CAN fulfill His promises, but WILL fulfill them. He is in the very process of fulfilling His will for our lives. That is something to be excited about!

Are you trusting God to fulfill your promises today? Doubt will do us no good. We have the entire Bible as evidence of God's faithfulness to His children. He loves you and WILL fulfill His purposes for you. We need only to trust Him in the process. This often means we must do what He calls us to do, goes where He calls us to go, or speak what He wants us to speak. Remember, God works within human history, not merely in spite of it. He works in the hearts of men through Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit. Beloved, trust God today. Amen.

With love in Christ,



Austin Aldrich