Through experience, we know that we have a faithful God who is not just an aloof being who is remote from us. He relates to us as a Father and He keeps His covenants. But it is not only through experience, we know that we can depend on God’s promises because His very word says so (Numbers 23:19, Judges 2:1, 1 Kings 8:56) and as we read through the Bible, we see that God has always been consistent, even for generations.
God is the ultimate promise keeper. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He does not change like the shifting shadows, and what He promises He will fulfill. The question is do we trust Him? Throughout the Bible, so often we find the Israelites distrusting God. Even today, in our humanity, we sometimes struggle to take God at His word. It seems to be an inherent part of the human psyche. The promises of God come from within a foundation of trust.
A simple reason why people sometimes struggle to trust God could be that they do not know Him well enough. Some of us may not have taken the time to go through His word or to embrace and soak in them. We have not cultivated the discipline of taking the time to talk and wait on God.
Another reason could be that we have let our painful experiences cause us to misunderstand God. Even at our best, our knowledge of God is limited. We can continue to grow in faith or in knowing His word, but the truth is, and even the word of God says so, that we will only ever know God in part. And when we bring in our painful experiences into our expectations, it can shape our level of trust. We allow our experiences instead of the word of God to shape our understanding of God.
At some point, in our brokenness, in our hurt and our pain, we must come back to God and we must just align ourselves with His word. Pain and grief are real things but greater than those feelings is this God who loves us. Yes, it is painful, but God is so much bigger, He sees so much more. He sees our tears. He knows the beginning and the end, and He is with us. He has not left or abandoned us. And day by day, we cling on to God’s promises until we can walk freely again. At times like this, let’s be encouraged to learn to soak in God.
When we look at the experiences of the Israelites during Joshua’s time, we find that God’s promises did not come quickly. Scholars estimate that from the time the Israelites crossed the Jordan River until the time the land was distributed to them, there were around 7 years that were full of battle. Sometimes God’s promises don’t come quickly. Often, as we have seen in the case of Abraham and Sarah, we end up trying to shortcut God. Do not be impatient. God is working on a timeline and it’s not ours. Learn to tarry a while and listen to what God is saying.
There was also struggle in God’s promise to Joshua. God had already promised them the land but there was work to be done. This is also our journey. We struggle, we go through pain along the way, and we find the strength to keep going in God. But we have a part to play, we got to get up the next day and fight against our giants. Some things need to be taken down before we possess the promise of God. It would have been easy for Joshua to give up but he kept his focus. Don’t give up. Keep moving forward and let’s also help each other to move forward.
And finally, God’s promise to Joshua did not come without failure. Amidst this promise, Achan committed a grievous sin and the whole nation of Israel was indicted and suffered a defeat in battle (Joshua 7:1). God is holy and He is not to be trifled with but the noteworthy thing here is that God is faithful even when we are not. He kept his promise to Israel until they possessed the Promised Land. Though we fail Him, His promises do not fail. He is a holy God, but He is also a loving and forgiving God. When we fail, we must keep coming back to God. Let’s not keep long accounts with God. We need to keep our focus on Him and recognize that He is both sovereign and reliable.
By learning to trust in God, we discover several beautiful things about His promises. We discover that God’s promises are a gift to us, to be received and opened in faith (Joshua 21:43; Joshua 18:2-3). God, in His generosity, invites us to be active participants in seeing His promises come to pass. Today, are there any promises in our hands that we need to open in faith?
God’s promises lead us to rest (Joshua 21:44). After wandering the wilderness and all the battles, finally, the Israelites were now entering their rest. We live in an overly anxious, overly tired, and extended world, and the word ‘rest’ is so full of hope. There is so much stress, depression, and emotional challenges in today’s society, and the statistics are always going up. It is so hopeful that Jesus promises us rest. Rest is a tremendous promise of God. God wants us to find the rest in Christ (Matthew 11:29). That is our reality when we walk with Christ. Even as we walk amidst the storms of life, we can find our rest in Jesus as we wholeheartedly place our trust in Him.
Besides being a gift and leading us to rest, God’s promises also give us strength (Joshua 21:44b). God gives us His spirit to enrich us, empower us, and enable us (Isaiah 40:28-31). And through the process, our faith grows, and we learn how to defeat our giants.
Best of all, God’s promises lead us to completeness. Joshua 21:45 tells us that not a word of God failed of any good thing the Lord had spoken to the House of Israel. It all came to pass. Whatever God starts, He will complete. Because God is a holy God, full of integrity, and faithfulness from everlasting to everlasting, He will bring His promises to completion.
What is your possession and promise from God today? Whatever it may be, we can hope and have faith in God that He will bring it to pass.
Note: This devotional/article was written through the lens of impartation the writer has received from a recent sermon by Pr Rachel Ongkili of SIB Skyline at Full Gospel Assembly KL. It has not been vetted by Pr Rachel or by Full Gospel Assembly.
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