Question from a WordTruth.Com friend:
>> How do I hold on to a promise when there are all types of personal, family, and
>> financial issues I face? How do I continue to believe that God hears and
>> answers my prayers when other believers are judging me about my appearance and
>> past deeds? It does not seem to matter that I am trying my best to please God...
WordTruth.Com Response:
How do you hold onto a promise? Well, if it is man's promise then you have to take it with some degree of pessimism. We live in a fallen world. Man's promises are based on a nature prone to selfishness. Even "church" people can treat one another in some very bad ways. My own church had a youth group that shunned my daughter because she was not in the "popular" crowd. It had some pretty dramatic effects on her life and emotional well-being.
What about God's promises? These are based on an infinite, unchanging, all-knowing, all-powerful, perfect Almighty God. You hold on to God's promises in spite of man's failures because of God's unchanging nature. The Bible says, "The LORD has kept the promise he made" (2 Chronicles 6:10, NKJV). God is the original promise-keeper.
Prayerfully meditate on the words of Psalm 77 for they seem particularly appropriate for your situation. The Psalmist was being persecuted by others and seemingly (only seemingly) forgotten by God. Look carefully at his response to such feelings -- he began to remember all the times God has remembered His promises in the past, such as His promise to deliver the Hebrew people from Egypt. They had to wait over 400 years for God's promised deliverance!
Remember too that when you have trusted in the LORD Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, you have become a child of God and servant in His kingdom. You are accountable to Him first and foremost. When you are following Christ but being condemned by others unjustly, God has promised you great reward:
[Jesus said], "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you" (Matthew 5:11-12, NKJV).
Jesus assured us we would face trouble and tribulation in this fallen world (John 16:33). But He also said, "but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world" (John 16:33, NKJV). He also said, "I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:20, NKJV). He may not always take your troubles away in this life, but He has promised and is faithful to be with you through it all. Meditate on Psalm 23 and commit it to memory:
1 The LORD is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
3 He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the LORD
Forever. (NKJV)
He provides for you, gives you rest, leads you, restores you, comforts you with His presence, protects you from enemies, and chases you around with goodness and mercy. On top of that, He assures you of a glorious future with Him in Heaven. So, "let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God" (Hebrews 12:1-2, NKJV).May God bless you with His wisdom and the courage to follow Jesus!
Randy Lariscy :-)
Director - WordTruth Ministries
Our Creator God loves you and wants you to know Him! If you would like to contact this ministry for further information or questions, please send your e-mail to:
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Web Site: WordTruth.ComCopyright 5/26/2003, Randy Lariscy.