With the year coming to an end, there’s no better time for reflecting on and remembering God’s promises. God has undoubtedly revealed much to you over the past year. It’s worth taking a moment to think about what He has done and will do for you.
The Challenge of Keeping Our Promises
My dad was a medical doctor. He worked at a couple of hospitals when I was a kid, so his schedule was very full to the point that we missed him for many Christmases. I remember being surrounded by family and relatives on those occasions and still feeling very empty and alone because I missed him very much.
I have an idea of how my father must have felt back in those days because, as an itinerant speaker, I have missed important days for my wife and daughter while on the road. I missed my daughter’s first day of school, as well as a day my wife needed immediate hospitalization.
We can promise to be there for others, and sometimes, even when we do our best to keep our word, we fail miserably because something out of our control gets in the way.
This is a challenge that God does not face, as He is always in control. When remembering God’s promises to us, we can feel confident in what He has revealed.
Remembering God’s Promise to Be with Us
The Bible is full of promises from God, but unlike us, He is totally able to keep His Word and fulfill it at the right time and in the perfect way because He is all-powerful, and nothing can get in His way.
God’s presence everywhere, all the time, is a reality clearly and unquestionably shown in the Bible (Psalm 139:7-8). Even so, God promised to various individuals and His people, Israel, that He would be with them (Exodus 3:12; Joshua 1:9). Jesus promised to all His disciples: “…I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20). That promise empowered the apostles to go out and conquer the world with the Gospel once the Holy Spirit descended upon them.
And it is the same promise we hold on to every day of our lives.
We know God promised to be with us always, but somehow, our ordinary days, our troubles, our difficulties, and even our blessings (that we may turn into distractions) tend to make us forget the One that is with us always. It is not difficult to find followers of Jesus who feel far from Him or who feel like God and Jesus have abandoned them. In hard times, remembering God’s promise can be challenging. If you need words to encourage somebody around you, or you feel God is distant from you, read the following paragraphs.
God’s nature reminds us of His promised presence with us. The Bible says that God is always everywhere. His presence is not diminished or scattered from place to place. Our perception of His being with us at some moment may vary, but the reality is what the Bible says: He is everywhere, all of Him, all the time (Psalm 139:7-12).
- All His holiness so that we live in reverence of His name
- All His Grace so that we live free from guilt and shame of our sins and past
- All His wisdom, so we know the way we should walk
- All of Him, all the time, with us
The Word of God reminds us of His promised presence with us. God is faithful; therefore, His word is trustworthy. The Bible says that creation is sustained by the power of His Word (Hebrews 1:3). That is, creation keeps working according to God’s design because of the command of His voice. Every turn of the earth, the romance of the moon and the tides, the migration of humpback whales during winter to deliver their calves near the coasts of Mexico, all of that is ordained and keeps its cycles because of God’s command. There is nothing more certain in the world than His Word, including everything He has promised!
God’s resume says He has kept His promises. God has never abandoned any of those He promised to be with (one example is Paul in Acts 18:9; Acts 27:23; 2 Timothy 4:17). The testimonies in the Bible and throughout redemption history tell of His presence with His people. In his book Experiencing the Presence of God, pastor and author A.W. Tozer wrote: “Man, unlike any other of God’s creation, is uniquely created to experience God. Not to know God and His intimacy is to deny our fundamental purpose.”
The promise of God to be with you always is signed with Jesus’ blood.
Trust in God’s Promises Now and Forever!
God is never going to be “on the road” or too busy to be with you because He is everywhere. You can trust God’s promises, His power always turns promises into reality. God has never abandoned one of His own. As we close out this year, we should be reflecting on and remembering God’s promise to all of us!
1Tozer, A.W.. Experiencing the Presence of God (p. 124). Baker Publishing Group.