God's promises are great

As we learn about God's promises, we are going to uncover aspects of God that are new to us. When I was thinking about the next series I wanted to offer through reVision, I thought about what God had been teaching me.

Over the past two years, He has been giving me a big lesson on His promises, provision and portion. Because God has blessed me in ways I can't even imagine, I wanted to boldly declare His promises.
So I pray as we go through this study, you'll see how great God's promises are.

So why are God's promises so great? It is simple....He's a great God. Promises are only as good as the person making them. Because God's promises are made by the one, true God....that makes them the greatest.

Psalm 145:3 declares, "Great is the Lord..." It goes on to say that His greatness is unsearchable....meaning, His greatness is so great, we can't imagine it or comprehend it. However, by absorbing, believing and tucking His promises away in our deepest being....We can start to explore and experience just how great God is.

Jeremiah 32:27 says, "I am the Lord...is anything to hard for me?" When our needs, fears and circumstances seem so big that we can't move past them, God asks, "What is it you think I can't handle?" The promise He makes us -- there is nothing He can't handle. When we holding on to God's promises, we are actually holding on to God.

For those of you who have been following my blog and my personal journey, you know some of the overwhelming circumstances I have faced.  You too, no doubt, have had similarly overwhelming situations.

But it was when I was in prison and separated from everything I once knew that I realized the importance of holding on to God's promises.

At the beginning of my prison term, I was so overwhelmed by the experience, that there were times I couldn't breathe. The separation was such a heavy burden. The lonliness was devestating. But each day, I would walk outside on the walking path and speak out loud the promises in scripture I could recall.

Many times it was through tears, but I spoke them anyway. Many days it was with very little conviction, but I spoke them anyway.
Eventually God came through on those promises and as I held on to them, He held on to me.

God's promises are great because He is a great God.

God's promises are great not only becuase He's a great God, but also because His promises deal with great issues. If you look through the scripture, God doesn't deal with surface, small and easily dismissed concerns. He faces big life changing issues.... such as despair, fear, uncertainty, pain, family, finances.

God's promises are the antidote for despair and fear. He speaks directly to uncertainty and worry. He drives home the promises that chase out pain, hurt and loneliness.

Look at the lame man who laid next to the pool of Bethesda. He couldn't get into the water for healing because he was lame. When Jesus crossed his path, He told Jesus that was his problem....he couldn't get into the water. What does Jesus do?  He doesn't help him into the water, but he heals the man and better yet, He offers the man a promise -- that his sins had been forgiven.

In a promise was the true source of healing and the hope for that man's future.

When I battled despair and loneliness in those first few weeks of prison, I remember thinking and praying on the promise that God says He'll be a friend to us.

There I was in the most unfriendly place I could imagine. I had no one who cared about me there and I felt like I had lost all of my personal identity. Reduced to a number, dressed like a thousand other women and treated like I was worthless....and to be honest, feeling pretty worthless myself....there I claimed the promise that God would be my friend.

And guess what -- He became just that and I learned to see God in a whole different light. I believe you won't know God as a healer until you are sick. You won't discover Him as a provider until you are in need and His ability to rescue you only comes when you need saving....as He delivers on His promises, we peel back layers of His persona.

I encourage you look for the promises He has delivered on already. When have you witnessed God fulfilling a promise to you? Do you believe that He is faithful to deliver even now? If you wanted to get to know God more -- on a personal level -- what things about His "personality" would you like to know, discover or uncover?
In what light do you see God the most? A savior, deliverer, rescuer, provider, etc.?