Promises, Promises!

Last night I sat on our sofa making reservations for an upcoming trip. To some degree, clicking on the "BOOK NOW" icon stresses me out. It seems so final. What if something happens? What if we change our plans? When I traveled with my children years ago, we drove until I got tired, pulled into the parking lot of some decent-looking hotel, and got a room. There was never any real plan until we got to where we were going. On this upcoming trip, my "no surprises" kind of husband is going with me. Additionally, we have the beauty of the internet, Google reviews, and 5x7 glossies of rooms and amenities. We can get a clearer picture of how things should happen before they do. Of course, there are never any guarantees. 

With God, it's a different story. In Exodus 11, we read that God told Moses what He was about to do with regard to Pharaoh. In order for His people to leave Egypt and no longer be slaves, God was sending one final plague, the plague to surpass all other plagues. This will be the plague that causes Pharaoh and his people to drive the Israelites out! In just the first verse, God uses the word "will" three times, telling Moses what will happen. In the middle of that same verse, God uses "when," as in when Pharaoh does exactly what I have told you he will do. You see, with God, there are no surprises when He says He is going to do something. There was no need for the Israelites to take out trip insurance; no need for them to get a little nervous as they packed their bags. Pack it! Pack it all! We're leaving! And they did. It happened just as God had said it would.

Someone once gave me a little book of God's promises. "When you pray, repeat His promises back to Him," they told me. I did, but God didn't give me the desires of my heart, God didn't always say "Yes," to the things I asked, and He certainly didn't do everything I asked Him to do. I chucked that little book of promises right in the trash. Like the rabbit's foot that didn't get me the boyfriend I wanted in middle school, it didn't work. But, God never promised me a boyfriend, and He never promised me half the stuff I was asking for at the time. His promises are "yes and amen," not my demands. He has given me the desires of my heart, but that's because the truth of His promises (in context!) has changed my heart. And His words are not meant to be thrown back at Him in arrogance or like some meaningless incantation. His promises are for His people, and they are grace-filled. He who has promised is faithful. He will not fail. You can count on it!