God is not human, that he should lie,
Numbers 23:19 NIV
not a human being, that he should change his mind.
Does he speak and then not act?
Does he promise and not fulfill?
Does God keep his promises to us? This verse comes from a portion of God’s message to Balak, the king of Moab, through Balaam, a prophet hired by Balak to curse Israel. And its message is worth remembering.
People make promises, committing themselves to do things. Sometimes they follow through on their commitments. But other times, they fail. That failure could be because they never intended to keep their promise. They may have found its fulfillment too costly or difficult. They may have forgotten. Or it may be that circumstances prevented them from being able to keep their promise.
But God is not like us. Unlike humans, we can always count on God to fulfill his promises. God never changes his mind, gets too busy, or forgets. The cost is never too great. And circumstance will never prevent him from keeping his promises. He is faithful always to do what he says.
But it is important to recognize that God’s timing is not the same as ours. God had promised Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that the land they lived in would one day be theirs. But It was many hundreds of years between the time the promise was initially made to Abraham and when his descendants actually possessed the land.
When Jesus left, he promised to return and take us to be where he is (John 14:2-3). We do not know when that promise will be fulfilled. But we can trust that he will. When the time is right, Jesus will return for those who are his. And all the troubles of this world will be forgotten (Rev. 21:3-4). So hold on to that promise. No matter what you might be going through now, if you have entrusted your life to the Lordship of Jesus, you have an eternal home with him waiting for you. God is always faithful to fulfill the promises he makes to us.
Prayers for you as you continue to share God’s Word. I love your messages and read them all.
Thanks for your encouragement and prayers. I do appreciate them.