Promises You Can Rely On

In the lead up to the UK General Election, politicians, and aspiring politicians, were making ever more generous promises, trying to persuade the electorate to vote for them. There were claims and counter claims, and it was hard to know whom to believe and whether we could trust those people to fulfil their promises. There have also been some high-profile cases in the news, where prominent people have been facing accusations of misconduct but have denied all involvement, protesting their innocence. Again, it is not easy to know whom to believe, and whether to trust those people to be telling the truth.

By contrast, we have a God who is utterly trustworthy and who never fails to keep His promises. The words in today’s verse were spoken by Joshua after God had used him to lead the people of Israel into the Promised Land. The people had been in slavery in Egypt, where they might have forgotten about the land that had been promised to Abraham and his descendants (Genesis 17:8), but God reminded Moses of the covenant that He had made (Exodus 6:2-5). He told Moses to speak to the people and tell them that He was going to bring them out from under the yoke of the Egyptians; to free them from slavery; to redeem them with mighty acts; to take them as His own people; and to bring them into the land that He was giving them. Wonderful promises! However, when Moses reported all this to the Israelites, we are told that ‘they did not listen to him because of their discouragement and cruel bondage’ (Exodus 6:9). They found it hard to believe God and to trust what He was saying, because of all the hardship they had been through and the discouragement that this had brought.

Sometimes, we too find it hard to believe the wonderful promises that God has made for us, especially if we have been through difficult situations in our lives. If we have been let down by others or betrayed, it can make it more difficult for us to trust again. We need then to focus on the One who will never lie to us – Jesus who is the Truth (John 14:6). God is ever constant, faithful and unchanging – ‘He does not change like shifting shadows’ (James 1:17). His promises have never failed, and will never fail, so if you are holding on in faith for one of His promises to you, be encouraged to hang on in there! He will never lie to you. What He has promised, He will do, and He will never let you down.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You that I can completely trust You, because You will never let me down or lie to me. Thank You for the promises contained in Your Word. Help me to hold on to these promises in faith, knowing that You will never break Your word. In Jesus’ name, Amen.