Abraham’s third great lesson, and one that equally applies to all God’s children, is the utter reliability of God’s promises. Once again, this lesson is intimately related to faith in the integrity of God’s character. When God is determined to bless, He is not hindered by human failure. He bases all His dealings with humans on what He has promised to do.
Numbers 23:19-20 NLT
[19] “God is not a man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it through? [20] Listen, I received a command to bless; God has blessed, and I cannot reverse it!”
So said Balaam when Balak, king of Moab, called him to curse the Israelites.
God began His dealings with fallen Adam by giving Him a promise, the first recorded promise in human history.
Genesis 3:15 NLT
[15] “And I will cause hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.”
Although it took millennia for God to fulfill that promise, all He did in and throughout the history of His chosen people was in preparation for that momentous event.
So it was with Abraham. Decades passed between the first utterance of God’s promises and the beginning of its fulfilment in the miraculous birth of Isaac. God was honing Abraham’s faith through trial and error so that he would trust God’s faithfulness and His power to deliver on his promise.
I once heard this profound statement which has steadied me through many seasons of doubt and discouragement…
“God will not answer your prayers until He has put all the structures in place to maintain that answer.”
What wisdom!
Regardless of the timespan humans live in, God will do what He is committed to do in His time, because He is painting on a bigger canvas that we can see, and His Word is a manifestation of Himself in another form.
Jesus is the ultimate assurance of the reliability of His promises. He became God’s Word in human form.
John 1:14 NLT
[14] So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.”
When Jesus spoke, His words were the incarnation of everything God had ever said. He became the guarantor and His words the guarantee of every promise God has ever uttered. So He could affirm to the devil himself,
Matthew 4:3-4 NLT
[3]”During that time the devil came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.” [4] But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ”
2 Corinthians 1:19-20 NLT
[19] “For Jesus Christ, the Son of God, does not waver between “Yes” and “No.” He is the one whom Silas, Timothy, and I preached to you, and as God’s ultimate “Yes,” he always does what he says. [20] For all of God’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding “Yes!” And through Christ, our “Amen” (which means “Yes”) ascends to God for his glory.”
The assurance of Jesus’ authority and power to deliver on God’s promises has two major results for God’s people.
- Prayer becomes, in the New Covenant, not, “Please do… ” but “Thank you that you have done…” because prayer is the “amen” we speak to God’s promises already fulfilled in Christ.
- God’s promises are all directed towards one purpose.
2 Peter 1:3-4 NLT
[3] “By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. [4] And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.”
God’s goal, in all His dealings with us, is to restore the likeness of Jesus in us. So, He is working towards that goal in everything we experience in life.
Romans 8:28-29 NLT
[28]”And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. [29] For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.”
How then, do we appropriate God’s promises to fulfill His purpose? We have the example and pattern in the lives of God’s ancient people.
Hebrews 6:12 NIV
[12]” We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.”
So, Abraham’s faith, and the faith of all who follow in his footsteps, comes full circle. Promises… faith… fulfilment… greater faith…intimacy with God… indestructible faith.
Here is a final, practical note that helps us to handle our difficult situations, big or small, so that we stay in line with God’s greater purposes.
A while back, while I was reading the story of Paul and the great storm he was in on his way to Rome, the Holy Spirit showed me a vital detail in the story. While the sailors were desperately trying to save the ship and their lives by lightening the ship, where was Paul? He was down in the hold. What was he doing? Praying!
An angel from God gave him a promise that changed the course of events.
Acts of the Apostles 27:18-26 NLT
[18] “The next day, as gale-force winds continued to batter the ship, the crew began throwing the cargo overboard. [19] The following day they even took some of the ship’s gear and threw it overboard. [20] The terrible storm raged for many days, blotting out the sun and the stars, until at last all hope was gone. [21] No one had eaten for a long time. Finally, Paul called the crew together and said, “Men, you should have listened to me in the first place and not left Crete. You would have avoided all this damage and loss. [22] But take courage! None of you will lose your lives, even though the ship will go down. [23] For last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me, [24] and he said, ‘Don’t be afraid, Paul, for you will surely stand trial before Caesar! What’s more, God in his goodness has granted safety to everyone sailing with you.’ [25] So take courage! For I believe God. It will be just as he said. [26] But we will be shipwrecked on an island.”
Out of Paul’s experience came a life lesson for me. The Holy Spirit clearly said to me, “Don’t ask for a miracle; ask for a word.” God promised Paul that no one on board the ship would be lost. It was this promise that gave Paul the authority to stop some of the sailors from trying to escape in a lifeboat. God rescued everyone on board the ship because He was faithful to His word to Paul.
Prayer for a miracle in a crisis is open-ended. It might or might not happen, but God’s word is secure. What He says He will do.
There may be many more lessons to learn from Abraham’s walk with God but these three, well learned, will equip us for a confident life in God.