DAILY DEVOTIONAL – November 5, 2020
“Promise Keeper”
Prayer: God our Maker, it is by Your Word that anything came into being at all. Bless us as we hear Your Word, that it would create faith where there is doubt, peace where there is despair, and hope where there is fear. In the name of Jesus, Your Son our Lord, the Word made flesh, amen.
“Promise Keeper”
Alright, enough! Who keeps praying for patience?! You can stop now.
If nothing else, this past year is one for the history books. As I am sure many of you can relate to, there is a big part of me that can’t wait for 2020 to be over. Yet, if I am really honest, there isn’t really a good reason to expect that 2021 will be any better – at least not if we are putting our hope and faith in any president, senator, representative, policy, or personality to solve the litany of problems that persist for a humanity that insists on looking to itself for hope and change. Listen to the words of Psalm 146.
1Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord, O my soul!
2 I will praise the Lord as long as I live;
I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.
3 Put not your trust in princes,
in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation.
4 When his breath departs, he returns to the earth;
on that very day his plans perish.
5 Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord his God,
6 who made heaven and earth,
the sea, and all that is in them,
who keeps faith forever;
7 who executes justice for the oppressed,
who gives food to the hungry.
The Lord sets the prisoners free;
8 the Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;
the Lord loves the righteous.
9 The Lord watches over the sojourners;
he upholds the widow and the fatherless,
but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.
10 The Lord will reign forever,
your God, O Zion, to all generations.
Praise the Lord!
Promises of keeping promises, promises of justice, of solving poverty, of solving overcrowded prisons, of medicine and healing, of social reform and protection. Sound familiar? Yes, but here is the difference between the promises of pundits and politicians and the promises of Scripture, “Blessed is he whose hope is in the Lord his God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, who keeps faith forever.”
We do not find our security or confidence that tomorrow will be okay in the words and promises of sinful men and women. Even the most noble and righteous of men who seem to keep their word, only offer fleeting and temporary relief. “When his breath departs, he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans perish.” If there is any hope to be had, and confidence for tomorrow, it must come from a source that will be here tomorrow, and the day after that, and the year after that. Any promise made that assures healing and hope for a better tomorrow for a sinful humanity that clearly cannot help itself, should only be believed if that promise comes from outside of humanity itself. Otherwise, we end up worshiping a dying humanity and will only have death as the fulfillment of its own promises.
In Acts 14, Paul and Barnabas enter into the city of Lystra and are lead by the Spirit to heal a man crippled from birth. Upon seeing this miracle, “the priest of Zeus, whose temple was at the entrance to the city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates and wanted to offer sacrifice with the crowds. 14 But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of it, they tore their garments and rushed out into the crowd, crying out, 15 “Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men, of like nature with you, and we bring you good news, that you should turn from these vain things to a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them (Psalm 146:6). 16 In past generations he allowed all the nations to walk in their own ways. 17 Yet he did not leave himself without witness, for he did good by giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness.” The faithfulness of God and the reliability of His promises is evidenced by the fact that He is the Creator of the earth, of all life, and that He sustains all life for the sake of His promises; even sustaining those who hate and reject Him. “For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” (Matt. 5:45)
There is no lack of reasons our world provides for us to be nervous, anxious about, and even fear tomorrow. Jesus says in Luke 12, “25 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 26 If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest?” Adding an hour to your lifespan?! In order to do that, you would have to be able to see into the future and know how long your lifespan will be. Impossible. Yet, Jesus calls that “a small thing.” It is a small thing for the one who created all things and all life. It is a small thing for the Lord of Life who rose from the dead Himself and who has promised that for all who put their hope, their confidence, their security, and their trust in Him, He has added an infinite number of hours to our life!
So, my friends, if you desire calm in the storm and hope in hopeless situations, turn off the television, refuse to be caught in the anxiety of the affairs of the princes of men, and instead fill your heart and mind with the perfect promises of the God who gives eternal life through His Son Christ and who “keeps faith forever.”
Thanks for joining me for another time in God’s Word, and remember, that God has forgiven yesterday, is with you today, and has already taken care of tomorrow. Amen.
