From the Inside Out

The Bible contains over 2,300 promises, all proclaiming God’s blessings upon us—blessings of provision, protection, and guidance.

And God is faithful. He never breaks a promise (Psalm 145:13b), he doesn’t lie or change his mind (Numbers 23:19), and everything he does is motivated out of love (Romans 8:32). What comforting news in an unsettling world!

But here’s my dilemma. Which promises apply to me, right now, in the circumstances I face? I don’t want to assume; I want to be realistic.

For example, is it reasonable to expect the promise of Psalm 91:9 to be in effect in every situation?

“If you make the Most High your dwelling—even the Lord, who is my refuge—then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent.”

There have been godly men and women who most certainly made God their dwelling. They lived on that elevated plane of God’s presence. And yet they suffered dire circumstances—disease, famine, persecution, poverty, and more. From our finite, shortsighted viewpoint, it appears unfair. And dare I say it? It would seem God was not faithful, or at the very least he did change his mind.

And therein lies the pitfall of promises—not in the vows themselves, but in our thinking. It’s a pitfall of misunderstanding. We look at promises with blinders on, envisioning only the lovely, glowing fulfillment of our dreams, our desires.

We read, “Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4), and our thoughts head horizontally toward things, human relationships, healings, and accomplishments. Of course, many of those desires are right and good. God may very well grant them. But should I count on those blessings as “good as done” because of this scriptural promise? I hesitate.

It may be that God’s desires for me are on the vertical plane between heaven and earth—to dwell in his presence, reflect his light, and bear fruit to his glory. Those divine delights certainly supersede the earthly variety.

If we take off the blinders that focus attention on ourselves, we’ll widen our view. We’ll glimpse the possibilities of God’s desires for us, which would include the best fulfillment of his promises. Granted, visibility will be unclear, because our finite vision of godly matters is so limited.

But at least the view will be wide, not narrow. Wide = accepting of God’s way to fulfill his promises in my life. Narrow = claiming a promise, and expecting my desires to be fulfilled.

My choice? Jeremiah expressed it first. He was talking to the people of Judah, but these words would certainly be appropriate to address to God:

“As for me, I am in your hands; do with me whatever you think is good and right” (Jeremiah 26:14).