Promises Made, Promises Kept…Eventually
One of the many great blessings God gives us as His followers is: He always keeps His word. He is both a lavish promise-maker and a flawless promise-keeper (Number 23:19). He never lies, and therefore never breaks His promise…ever. In fact, it is “impossible for God to lie” (Heb. 6:18), so He calls us to “hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful” (Heb. 10:23).
The Lord’s promise list is long, generous, and beyond anything we could ever imagine to receive, yet, we often have unrealistic expectations about the timing of God’s promises. We want instant fulfillment and, to be sure, some promises are immediate like:
Eternal life the moment we believe (John 5:24)
Nothing can separate us from the love of God (Rom. 8:39)
God’s nearness when we draw near (James 4:8)
Cleansing when we confess (1 John 1:9)
His abiding presence forever (Heb. 13:5)
However, God often calls us to wait.
The Disciples waited 10 days for the promise of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost (Acts 1:4–5; 2:1).
Paul waited 2 years in prison for his promised arrival in Rome (Acts 23:11).
Joseph waited 13 years for the promise of his dream of exaltation to be fulfilled (Gen 37:5–11).
Isaac waited 20 years for his promised sons (Esau & Jacob) to be born (Gen. 25:20, 26).
Abraham waited 25 years for his promised son Isaac to be born (Gen. 12:4; 21:5).
Caleb waited 45 years to inherit his portion in the promised land (Num. 14:24; Josh 14:7-10).
Simeon waited a lifetime to see the promised Messiah (Luke 2:26).
Noah waited 100 years for the flood to come and promised preservation (Gen 6:13–21).
Israel waited 400+ years in Egypt for their promised deliverance to Canaan (Gen. 15:13–14; Ex. 12:40–41).
The world waited at least 4,000 years for Messiah, the promised Redeemer to come (Gen. 3:15; Isa. 9:6-7).
Throughout Scripture, God ties promise to perseverance: “For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised” (Heb 10:36), and His delays are not His denials, but instruments of sanctifying grace. Waiting refines us and matures our faith (Gen 15:6; Rom 4:20–21; Jas 1:2–4).
So keep trusting the Lord. He may seem slow from our perspective, but He is never late. He delivers. He is perfectly, powerfully, and precisely on time.
Pastor Jeff
Foundational Faith Statement #23. What benefits do believers receive from God’s gift of salvation?
The benefits of justification (being declared right with God), adoption (becoming God’s child), and sanctification (progressively set apart from sin and living righteously) which flow from being blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies, being made complete in Christ, and being granted everything pertaining to life and godliness (Romans 3:24; Romans 8:17; Ephesians 4:23–24; Ephesians 1:3; Colossians 2:10; 2 Peter 1:3).