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Promises, Promises
by Jerry Ousley The Bible is jam-packed full of promises given to us by God. Many of those were specifically to the nation of Israel, some of which can be applied to all Christians and some of which pertain only to Israel. We can claim those that do apply to us and stand on them. However sometimes it seems that we've done that and nothing is happening. I've had that experience. I have always had a strong driving desire to be a full-time minister for the Lord. I know, I know, some of you who have been faithful to us for several years have heard this again and again. Please humor me for just a moment if you will and I'll try to pull a new point out of this. Anyway, I wanted it so badly that it was like I was starving to death (which would be very difficult at this point in my life if you saw me; I think I could go for quite a while before I'd actually starve to death plenty of stuff stored up if you know what I mean). There were times, many times that I tried to make it happen on my own. I'd quit a job thinking that God's promise had finally come to fruition, only to fall flat on my face! This occurred so many times that I think it made my nose flat (or at least flatter than it was)! I began to feel a bit like the man who wanted some donuts but knew that he shouldn't eat them. He prayed, "Lord, if it's Your will for me to have donuts this morning I'm asking you to open a parking place right in front of the store!" What do you know; after twenty-five trips around the block it finally opened up! What a sign from the Lord! That's kind of how I felt; I tried to make it happen by circling the block until what seemed to be the Lord's window of opportunity was opened then I'd dive into it. But it wasn't God's will so I failed. I felt like saying, "Promises, promises!" But the day finally came when I understood. God was preparing me for the ministry in which He has me today. I know that this is His will for my life because I have not failed. He has made it fruitful and blessed it abundantly. Sometimes we just have to wait until God knows that the time is right. Abraham found that out the hard way. In Genesis 17 1-6 we read about the promises God gave to him. First of all God had promised him a great possession of land. He told Abraham that as far as his eye could see in all directions would be his. Yet when he died the only land he legally owned was a cave on a small field used to bury his wife. God promised him children as numerous as the sand on the sea shore and as plentiful as the stars in the sky. But he was one hundred years old before he actually had a son by his wife Sarah. He had fathered Ishmael in an effort to make God's promise come true and later, after Sarah had died and he remarried, he had more children. But they did not qualify as God's promise, so he left this world with a small burial plot and a single son as compared to all the land he could see and children so numerous that they couldn't be counted. But the promise did come true. God led the descendants of Abraham through his one son Isaac out of Egypt - a vast nation of people. He led them to the land He had promised to Abraham and it did finally belong to his heirs. God fulfilled His promise only not like Abraham expected. It is the same for each of us today. God has a plan for our lives. In His time and on His schedule He will fulfill His promises. You can take that to the bank. You can stand firm on the foundation of His promises. He will bless you just like He promised. It may not come when we expect it or think we would like to see it. But you can rest on the fact that it will happen and it will take place. Why don't you do that today? Release the worry, concern, anxiety, anger and doubt. Just cast it to the wind and in the place of these negative things fill that void with hope, expectation, and a knowing in faith because whether it takes place in your lifetime or not, God will fulfill His promise to you when the time is right and it is needed the most. I promise. Jerry D. Ousley is the author of ?Soul Challenge?, ?Soul Journey?, ?Ordeal?, ?The Spirit Bread Daily Devotional and his first novel ?The Shoe Tree.? Visit our website at spiritbread.com to download these and more completely free of charge. Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com |