Episode 24--God’s Promises Revisited

Episode Title: God’s Promises Revisited

Episode intro:

Hello, Civilla Morgan here! Welcome to episode 24 of the Not Just Another Religion and Politics Podcast! Thank you for tuning in! So here’s the deal: 

I want this podcast to speak to people, not yell at people. Whether you are a Believer or not, a Christian or not, I want this podcast to be so plain in its language, that even if you have never stepped into a church, you will get this. You will get who Jesus is, and you will get what relationship with Him could be like, despite what people--Christians and non-Christians, try to do to get you to turn your back. Come along with me. I promise it will be a really cool experience! 

Body of episode:

I want to revisit God’s promises. If you remember, I first discussed God’s promises in episode 13. But I really wanted to bonus God’s promises especially in light of the mayhem we are all currently living through. 2020 has been tougher than many of us have had to endure, and unfortunately, although there is a little light at the end of the tunnel, 2021 has had its own challenges. I keep saying it: Many of us have never been down this path before. I know there are a few centenarians around, God bless them. I’m quite sure they’ve seen a lot. But for the rest of us, well whew!  

And in the midst of all of this, did you know God made us a really long list of promises? Crazy right? Through all of this sadness and grief, and death, and mass shootings, and hunger, and slavery, and human trafficking...and the list goes on. It sounds more like 49 AD or the 1200s than the 21st century.   

How can He make promises and how do we know they pertain to us when they were documented thousands of years ago? 

Well, He did not promise those things would not happen, in fact, He said: 

‘I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth, you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”--John 16:33. 

See the last part of that verse, ‘...I have overcome the world’? It’s one of those things where we know how the story ends. We know because the Book of Revelations tells us so. 

But what about in the meantime? Because that is where we are, isn’t it? In the meantime. 

In the meantime, we need to know what His promises are and then remind ourselves of those promises in the middle of terrible times. Times like these. Because as long as we are on this earth, we will not be able to avoid terrible times, so we might as well learn how to deal with them. 

As human beings, we have many ways of coping or dealing with the bad things that come our way. The way we deal with things is typically based on our culture, on the way we have seen our elders deal, and our personalities.  Some of us tend to run away from trouble. Some of us walk away when maybe we should face the trouble. Some of us look for trouble where there isn’t any. And some of us are brave enough to face down trouble, terror, looking it directly in the eyes.

But I believe even the strongest of us need promises. Human beings tend to do better when we have something to rely on, right? When we can rely on the hope that promises, well, promise.    

So what is a promise? What are God’s promises? 

‘A promise is ‘a declaration or assurance that one will do a particular thing or that a particular thing will happen.’--Google.

‘A promise is an object that may produce a single value some time in the future: either a resolved value or a reason that it’s not resolved (e.g., a network error occurred).--Master the Javascript. I mean did you know a promise was part of Java code?

I don’t know about you, but I learn something new every day!

Before we review some of the many promises in the Bible, I would like to make a suggestion: Many years ago I read a devotional that suggested we not treat scripture verses like quotes from the inside of a candy bar wrapper. If I’m not mistaken they specified a Milky Way wrapper, but I’m sure it doesn’t matter what candy bar. The point is that the verse you read has more meaning, more definition, more texture, dare I say; if you read the verse before and sometimes the verse after. Here’s an example: Jeremiah 29:11 says: 

10‘This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. 11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’    

But look at verse 10? That is a promise most people skip over and go straight to verse 11, holding onto that verse with all their might. And that’s fine, it is a promise after all. But verse 10 is a specific promise to those that were being held in captivity--in Babylon. God promised the Israelites that after 70 years in captivity He would bring them back to their place, to their land. And then in verse 11, He says those famous words that we all hang onto with everything we have in us. 

Does verse 10 mean that verse 11 pertains only to the captives? I don’t believe so. But I do believe what the devotional I read years ago said about reading verses like they were candy wrapper quotes. We can claim God’s blessings just as He wants us to, but read the verses before and after for context. After all, as verse 10 shows, it's not always about us right?       

So promises...God’s promises...

‘The Lord is trustworthy in all he promises and faithful in all he does.’--Psalm 145:13.

“Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”--Luke 1:45.

I love this verse, and I’ve held it close to my heart for years, especially when I am working on a project like this 25 episode limited-edition podcast that I felt God prompted me to create. 

Although I know Jesus esteemed women and treated us as equals, there are not many verses in the Bible that specifically, genderally, I just made up another word; speaks to women, especially not like this one. So I use it as a promise to me. And it is. But look at the verse before: 

44 ‘As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.’   

Both of these verses are Elizabeth speaking to her cousin Mary. So remember, every verse is a verse unto itself, but the verses before and after add context.  

I mean I could feel a little out of sorts, aka, some type of way about verse 44 as I never had children.  I could be offended and decide that verse is not a promise for me. But I have decided not to be offended, and I have decided to continue to claim that verse. Look, there are times and situations where we are going to have to hang onto God’s promises with our fingernails. This is one of those verses for me. 

So,  what about this one...

‘For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him, the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.’--2 Corinthians 1:20.

“I am with you always, until the end of the age.”--Matthew 28:20.

“Don’t be afraid, because I’m with you; don’t be anxious, because I am your God.”--Isaiah 41:10.

“I am with you and will protect you wherever you go”.--Genesis 28:15.

These next few verses have stars next to them. I will tell you why in just a moment.  

‘The angel of the LORD encamps all around those who fear Him, And delivers them.’--Psalm 34:7.*

‘No weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and this is their vindication from me," declares the LORD.--Isaiah 54:17.*

‘Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.’--James 1:17.*

Those are some of my favorite verses. In fact, I incorporate them into my daily prayers.  What if you started memorizing promises that you feel bring calm to your heart, and then incorporated them into your daily prayers. I believe it would help in the midst of all the daily craziness we are dealing with.  Give it a try?  

In this next verse Joshua who took over leading the Israelites after Moses died, is now dying and he says: 

“Now I am about to go the way of all the earth. You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the Lord your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed.”--Joshua 23:14.

Even and especially in death, he can say that God fulfilled all of His promises.  Amazing and beautiful right? That’s a promise in itself. 

Well, as I mentioned, these are just a handful of the many verses in the Bible. There are hundreds more. Find the ones that pertain to you and repeat them daily. Hold them close to your heart and pray them over yourself and over your family and friends.    

 

Episode quote:

For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.’--2 Corinthians 1:20.

Closing commentary:

Don’t forget, I would love to hear from you on the question: 

‘Who is God?’ 

 

Episode outro:

Thank you for tuning in. Email me with feedback or questions. 

I would love to hear from you at r[email protected]. Give me 24 to 48 hours to respond. And don’t forget to check the show notes for the sources used for this episode. Until next time! 

Bye!

Scriptures mentioned:

 

• John 16:33. 

• Jeremiah 29:10-11

• Psalm 145:13

• Luke 1:44-45

• Joshua 21:5

• 2 Corinthians 1:20

• Matthew 28:20

• Isaiah 41:10

• Genesis 28:15

• James 1:17

• Isaiah 54:17

• Psalm 34:7

• Joshua 23:14

 

Research links: 

https://www.openbible.info/topics/joy

https://medium.com/javascript-scene/master-the-javascript-interview-what-is-a-promise-27fc71e77261

https://en.operando.org/gods-promises-for-your-every-need/?gclid=Cj0KCQiAhs79BRD0ARIsAC6XpaWE3AH5lwhc6wgMe9zBCmoDH7Dv0z_jb1GYI1k0tgT5nIYqoPCQ-VMaAh2iEALw_wcB