I recently spoke with a good friend of mine concerning the Promise of God for his life. He expressed frustration at the timing and manner in which God was fulfilling it, and that he didn’t know if the promise was worth it.

I had two good friends in college that were destined to be together. God told the two of them that they were to marry each other - before either of them were saved. The Lord dramatically redeemed them from their previous lives, filled them with His Holy Spirit, and brought them together in one of the most dramatic love stories that I’ve ever heard in real life.

Somewhere along the line, though, they lost hope in His Promise. In their hearts they chased after other lovers. One of them eventually broke off the relationship. I still wonder if God can redeem this promise. I still wonder if after all the pain and hurt and mistrust if there can still be a God-given love for one another.

It reminds me of the Israelites in the desert. They too gave up often on the promise of God that they would be His people and dwell in the land He had prepared for them. In their hearts they longed for Egypt. Even after they were settled in their Promised Land, their hearts were adulterous, and they eventually ran back to Egypt. God then removed his Promise from His people, and took away their land, their temple, and their renown among the peoples of the earth.

However, God cannot turn back on His Promise. He reserved for Himself a remnant, which He brought back from captivity and settled once again in His Promised Land. The Lord redeemed the Promise that He made to Israel’s forefather Abraham.

I encourage you never to give up on the promise of God. At times it may seem as if the Promise is inferior to Egypt, but it is always God’s best, and will reap the greatest contentment and reward. I’m still holding on to the promise of God that my life will impact the nations for His glory. I’m still holding on to the promise of a generation called by His Name, and ignited with the fires of worship and intercession.

Lord Jesus, give us the strength to hold on to your Promise. You are always faithful, and have our best interests in mind.

Don’t you love all of these dramatic titles with exclamation points? This reflects the urgency and fervency with which I addressed the Lord this morning.

Let me set the scene for you. I was reading in Matthew 21, and I came to these verses (18-21):

Early in the morning, as he was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” Immediately the tree withered. When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?” they asked. Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”

The Lord stopped me in my tracks, and asked me, “What do you want from me?” It felt like a very important moment. I felt like this was an important opportunity, and that anything I asked for in that moment He would give me because he had aroused my faith. I took a moment to consider.

I didn’t want anything temporal, like a chair for our prayer room or a new car. I didn’t want money or anything like that. I wanted something that would change me - that would give me the ability to stir my faith even more to live a life of faith. The thing is, I didn’t ask for faith.

I begged for freedom.

I knew that if the Lord sovereignly set me free from the sin that besets me, then I would be all right. If I wasn’t listening to lies anymore, I knew that my faith would be activated, and that the Lord would lead me, guide me, provide for me and protect me. So I asked for freedom. After all, “it is for freedom that Christ has set us free.” I believe that He will answer. I believe that He will do it. Today is the beginning of something new - and scary. It’s called trusting Him.