MIF 18:1 (Jan-Feb 1986)
God’s Promises
“But my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19).
The beginning of a New Year is a good time to look ahead to what the future may hold for us. It is too late to rectify the mistakes and failures of the past year, but God’s Word has a new promise for every day in the year to come. If we claim these promises, we can be strong where we are weak, we can replace fear with hope, and we can enjoy spiritual victory instead of defeat. Our part is to cultivate the habit of daily prayer and systematic Bible study for our own spiritual profit and blessing. We can depend on God to keep His promises.
When afflictions come, we know that the Lord will deliver us out of them all (Psalm 34:19). In the light of eternity our worst problems are only momentary. But God’s promises are all fulfilled in Jesus Christ, our Mediator and Great High Priest in things pertaining to God. While we may have desires that God will not satisfy because they are not for His glory or our good, He has promised to meet every genuine need in His divine mercy, justice and power. We often speak of God’s promises in general terms, but we should not fail to claim each one as a special promise for ourselves.
Let us not forsake the assembling of ourselves together (Hebrews 10:25). He has promised that “Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:20).
So in the year ahead let us learn to lean with renewed courage and confidence on God’s promises, assured that He will never leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5).