Standing on God's Promises, Part 2

As I've been meditating on the promises of God, I can't help but think about the children of Israel coming out of Egypt and crossing the Red Sea. They get to the other side, and Pharaoh's armies have been overcome by the waters and destroyed. Does anyone recall the very first place that God brought them? Marah. And what was significant about Marah? Bitter water. Marah means "bitterness."  

God gives them the promise, leads them out of bondage, and the very first place He takes them is the place of bitter water. And unlike us, those old stiff-necked, rebellious Israelites, they immediately begin to murmur and complain. Something we would never do. "Why have you done this to us? We might as well have stayed in Egypt. Would to God that we had never left." And then they start going on and on about how bad it is. "Moses, what have you done to us? You have ruined our lives!"

The reason that they felt, spoke, and acted the way they did is because they were looking at life through a human perspective and not through God's. And perspective has everything to do with the promises! We must first DO the will of God before we can EXPERIENCE the fullness of His promises. In order to accomplish that, our perspective has to change.

You see, those Israelites didn't realize the reason the water was bitter. The reason the water was bitter was because of what was in the water. There was calcium and magnesium in that water, which made for a bitter-tasting combination. Those are also the elements found in dolomite, and athletes and some heart patients use dolomite to this day. Dolomite can strengthen muscles and also the heart.

Could it be that God knew that there was dolomite in that water? Could it be that God was going to use that to help flush them out . . . a little detox? Could it be that He was trying to help cleanse them after years of eating unhealthy food? I won't go on about diet; that's a whole other lesson in and of itself. Could it be that God was purging and strengthening in preparation for what should have originally only been about a two-week journey? It turned into forty years! Why? Because God's a mean old God? No! He's not out to get you! Sometimes He'll lead you to the bitter water because He's trying to purge, strengthen, and get you ready for what lies ahead! But many times we're so busy murmuring and complaining that we miss the process. The writer of Hebrews says that we have need of endurance and patience, so that AFTER we have done the will of God, we will have received the promise.

Most of you are aware that there are hundreds, perhaps thousands of promises in the Word of God. I don't know how many. It would depend on which commentator to whom you are listening. Some will tell you there are three thousand; some might even say thirty thousand. Frankly, I don't know how many promises are in the Bible, and neither do you or the commentators, because it's all a matter of what is interpreted as a promise. I can promise you this: there are a whole lot of promises in Scripture! God's promises are particularly pertinent to those who are willingly seeking to obey Him. There are all kinds of promises attributed to those folks, and there are very specific promises that God has made in regard to certain areas of our lives.

I think of such promises such as, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you and your whole household shall be saved." Do you know that's a promise you can hang onto? It's not only for you, but also for your entire household! Somebody needs to hear that today. Not only you, but your entire household will be saved! Stand on the promise! Stand on the promise! Stand on the promise! How long do I stand? Having done all to stand! Stand on the promise. Having conquered, be prepared to conquer again. Stand on the promise!  

"Lo, I am with you always, even until the end of the age." "Well, Jesus, where are You?" He said, "I'm with you always!" "Well, I don't feel ya." "I'm with you always!" "Well, I can't hear ya." "I'm with you always!" Now if Jesus says that He's with us always, is there ever a time that He's not with us? There might be sometimes you may wish He was not, but He's with you always!

We'll continue to look at some of God's awesome promises in the next blog that He has given to those who hearken, hear, and heed His voice!

 ~ pg