Promises Made-and Kept
Scripture Reading — Romans 8:28-39
No matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ.
—2 Corinthians 1:20
The body shop promised that our car would be ready the day before we planned to begin a long trip. The workers were cordial and sounded competent, but I did check their progress a week ahead of time. And we made a contingency plan.
Was the body shop’s promise sincere? Probably. Were they trustworthy? Hopefully. Would they finish on time? Maybe. But anything could happen: delays beyond their control, unavailable parts, damage initially undetected, difficulty in matching paint. Reality can interfere with the best of human promises.
Is God cordial? Yes. Competent, sincere, and trustworthy? Yes. Is God in full control? Yes. Is everything available to him? Yes. Does he know how damaged we are? Yes. Every question is answered with a definite “Yes.” With God, there’s not a single “hopefully,” “maybe,” “probably,” or “I don’t know.” And the final result always matches his promise.
We celebrate Lent because God makes reliable promises and keeps them. He promised to send the Messiah for our salvation, and he delivered. If God kept his greatest promise to us at the cost of his Son, will he not keep every other promise he has made?
Lent is a good time to review our faith and renew our hope in the promises of God.
Father, in this Lenten season, strengthen our faith to trust your unbroken and unbreakable promises. Through Jesus Christ our hope, Amen.
About the author — Dale Vander Veen
Dale Vander Veen is a retired Christian Reformed pastor who with his wife, Edith, has ministered in California, Washington, and Michigan. They have three married children and six grandchildren. He currently writes a daily e-mail series of devotions.
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