Have you ever had a person break a promise? Hurts, doesn’t it? I think the thing that hurts the most is the disappointment that comes…not because an obligation went unfulfilled…but because of the violation of trust. When promises are broken, relationships change.
A promise, after all, is only as good as the one who makes it. We trust others to keep their promises. When promises are kept, trust gradually increases. But when promises are broken, trust plummets!
The good news is that God is not fickle. He’s not on and off. He’s always true to complete whatever he begins. He always keeps his promises. He never denies his word. His character and actions are always consistent. He can be completely trusted. Even when his promises run contrary to our experience and understanding.
In Genesis 13:14-18, God gave Abram a promise.
After Lot had gone, the Lord said to Abram, “Look as far as you can see in every direction—north and south, east and west. I am giving all this land, as far as you can see, to you and your descendants as a permanent possession. And I will give you so many descendants that, like the dust of the earth, they cannot be counted! Go and walk through the land in every direction, for I am giving it to you.” So Abram moved his camp to Hebron and settled near the oak grove belonging to Mamre. There he built another altar to the Lord. (Genesis 13:14-18, NLT)
In those verses God promised Abram that he was going to give him a land and then a people. When God makes a promise to his children, like Abram we find that our faith is immediately challenged. In tomorrow’s post I’ll share four obstacles that Abram had to overcome as we continue to look over his shoulder into his life.
A promise, after all, is only as good as the one who makes it. We trust others to keep their promises. When promises are kept, trust gradually increases. But when promises are broken, trust plummets!
The good news is that God is not fickle. He’s not on and off. He’s always true to complete whatever he begins. He always keeps his promises. He never denies his word. His character and actions are always consistent. He can be completely trusted. Even when his promises run contrary to our experience and understanding.
In Genesis 13:14-18, God gave Abram a promise.
After Lot had gone, the Lord said to Abram, “Look as far as you can see in every direction—north and south, east and west. I am giving all this land, as far as you can see, to you and your descendants as a permanent possession. And I will give you so many descendants that, like the dust of the earth, they cannot be counted! Go and walk through the land in every direction, for I am giving it to you.” So Abram moved his camp to Hebron and settled near the oak grove belonging to Mamre. There he built another altar to the Lord. (Genesis 13:14-18, NLT)
In those verses God promised Abram that he was going to give him a land and then a people. When God makes a promise to his children, like Abram we find that our faith is immediately challenged. In tomorrow’s post I’ll share four obstacles that Abram had to overcome as we continue to look over his shoulder into his life.
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