God will do what He said He’ll do

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God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it? (Numbers 23:19 ESV)

Have you ever had anyone to make a promise to you and break it before the words are barely uttered? Get this one. Have you ever been told, “I’ll be there for you; I got your back,” only to find the so-called promise-maker didn’t deliver on his promise?

One thing that we all have to realize is that man is human with flaws; therefore, he doesn’t have God’s capabilities and never will. If we would all come to that realization, then this kind of disappointment won’t be so great when it hits us.

Numbers 23:19 (ESV) says it all about God’s promises. Therefore, believe that God will do what He said He would do!

Every 2-4 years in our nation, we experience the “promissory pie-in-the-sky rhetoric” of some politicians who never deliver. Some will say anything just to get elected, and we don’t hear from them again until the campaign circle comes around again.

So, it is with people we love and adore, who will make promises that they know they cannot keep; thus, causing hard feelings to evolve. Put your whole trust in God, and Him only, because He will not change.

Ezekiel 24:14 (ESV) God said, “I am the Lord. I have spoken; it shall come to pass; I will do it. I will not go back; I will not spare; I will not relent; according to your ways and your deeds you will be judged, declares the Lord God.”

Further, in Malachi 3:6-7 (ESV), God revealed, “For I the Lord do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed. From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts. But you say, ‘How shall we return?’”

I encourage you to read this entire chapter of Malachi as you will learn an invaluable lesson about your promises to God and His promises to us.

When God makes promises, He is faithful to them because “God is not man, that He should lie…” Ask God for what you need, and trust that He will bestow it upon you. However, you must trust His timing as well because “Jesus answered, ‘My kingdom is not of this world…’” Read and share this story about a father’s promise to his son, and see how it connects to the promise of God, the Father. The story, written by Grant MacDonald, is entitled “A Father’s Promise” and was published 22 years ago.

“Ten years ago (1988), an 8.2 earthquake almost flattened Armenia, killing over 30,000 people in less than four minutes. It’s hard to imagine the anguish, the pain, and the suffering that began in those four brief minutes of time — people’s worlds were shaken and lives crushed. In spite of the devastation, such tragedies often bring out the best in people — at least it provides a window to peek at the contents of each heart. Let me show you the loving heart of one father.

“In the midst of chaos and destruction, he rushed to his son’s school. But instead of a school, he found a shapeless heap of rubble. Imagine what went through his mind. What would have gone through your mind? Perhaps, shock would have crippled you as it did the other parents who were walking around dazed, clutching at their hearts and calling out their child’s name. But in the case of this father, the sight of rubble and ruin only made him spring into action. He ran to the back corner of the building where his son’s classroom used to be and began to dig. Why? What real hope did he have? What were the chances that his son could have survived such destruction? All he knew was that he had made a promise to always be there for his son. It was this promise that gave strength to his body and motivated him mentally.

“As he began to dig, well-meaning parents tried to pull him out of the rubble saying: ‘It’s too late!’ ‘They’re dead!’ ‘You can’t help!’ ‘Go home!’ ‘There’s nothing you can do!’

“The fire chief tried to pull him off the rubble by saying, ‘Fires and explosions are happening everywhere. You’re in danger. Go home!’

“Finally, the police came and said, ‘You’re angry, distraught, but it’s over. Go home.’ But this father had made a promise, and he was going to keep it!

“The love this father had in his heart for his son kept him digging for eight … 12 … 24 … 36 hours. Then, in the 38th hour, he pulled back a boulder and heard his son’s voice crying for help. Immediately, he screamed, ‘ARMAND!’

“Back came the words, ‘Dad!? I told them! I told the other kids that if you were still alive, you’d save me! You promised me, you said you’d always be there for me! You did it, Dad!’

“A determined father, a promise kept, and a stone rolled away to reveal life and give freedom! The story of Armand’s dad reminds us of the events of that first Easter when our Heavenly Father kept a greater promise by rolling away a much more significant stone. With the rolling away of that stone, came eternal life and true lasting freedom in Christ! And you know what? Our Heavenly Father is still in the business of rolling away stones.”

Have a wonderfully blessed week, stay safe, get involved in righting the wrongs of social injustice, and never leave home without Him!

(Anna Bright is a minister and educator in Walterboro. She can be reached at abrightcolumn@lowcountry.com)