Standing on the promises

For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ.
And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.
(2 Corinthians 1:20) 

We’re now less than a month away from the General Election, and as 4th July approaches we’ll hear the various parties outlining more of what they plan to do if they win. Experience tells us - and plenty of surveys confirm - that politicians tend to over promise and under deliver which, sadly, and unhelpfully I think, breeds cynicism within the voting public.
 
Government is a hugely complicated business. And I believe those who are prepared to serve as MPs deserve our thanks and desperately need our prayers as they carry the weight of their responsibilities. When elected, I suspect they come to realise much more clearly just how difficult it is to deliver what they aspire to, for a whole host of reasons. They discover competing priorities across the economy, health, education, immigration, the environment, housing, defence, transport and so much more, that are very difficult or impossible to balance. They have to cope with unforeseen or unplanned-for circumstances, like wars and pandemics. They face challenge and sometimes fierce opposition to what they hope to do. They don’t always plan as well as they should. And sometimes they find out they’ve simply been unrealistic.
 
So how do we view God’s pledges, His promises? Do we approach them with the same lack of confidence we often have in the pronouncements of politicians? Do we receive them as encouraging words but struggle to believe how they could ever come about? It’s so important to recognise the vast difference between what fallible human beings with limited understanding and perspectives can do, and what the creator of the universe, the all-powerful and all-knowing God can bring about. The Bible is stacked full of promises that have already been fulfilled and others that have yet to be, but in which we can have absolute confidence because they have been spoken by someone who is faithful, trustworthy and compassionate.
 
If God didn’t keep just one of His promises, it would be game over. It would undermine the whole of His character. We wouldn’t know when we could trust Him and when we couldn’t. But His promises won’t fail. And with this guarantee we can have genuine hope in this life and for eternity when we place our trust in the one who makes the promises. A late 19th century hymn included these words: 

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. 

In an imperfect and uncertain world, fallible human beings, even with the best of intentions, make decisions that are often unwise and sometimes simply wrong. And this is the messy world in which we live and are called to serve. But the book of Proverbs (30:5) reminds us that “Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.” So as we navigate the complexities of life, we also live with a perfect God and the certainty of His promises.
 
A prayer - Thank you, Lord, that the depth of your love for us shines so brilliantly through your promises, and that we can have absolute confidence in them. Please build our trust in you, so that we live lives full of joy, peace and hope. Amen
 
Photo by Steve Houghton-Burnett on Unsplash