Recalibrate: Part 6-Stand on God's Promises

A devotional series about reviving your heart, renewing your mind, and restoring your soul

I once heard a story from a friend about her father's broken promises. He would frequently express his love for her through words, gifts, and affectionate gestures like hugging and complimenting her. However, he consistently failed to follow through on his commitments to her. When she was a little girl, she’d wait for him to pick her up on Fridays to spend the weekend at his house. She’d get her hopes up only to be let down. He’d promise to bring her to his house during summer vacation, and there would always be an excuse as to why it would never happen. He’d promised to help her move into her first apartment, then failed to show up. This left her to question, “Does my dad really love me?” It has caused her to reflect on her inability to trust people and to even trust God.

The sentence “I love you” certainly pulls at one’s heartstrings, but love is only as real as the promises that are kept. When someone makes a promise, it is a declaration to do what they’ve said they will do. A promise does more than make our hearts flutter because when someone consistently follows through on what they say they will do, trust is built into the relationship. God’s desire is that we believe and trust in His Word because His Word never fails, and He always keeps His promises.

With a quick Google search, I found several sources stating that God's expression of love can be found over 300 times in scripture, but God’s expression of His promises to humankind is found more than 8,000 times! His promises are His actions, and He always follows through.

Recalibrate: Part 5- Embrace Grace

Remember the old hymn “Standing on the Promises of God”?

Standing on the promises of Christ my King,
Through eternal ages, let His praises ring,
Glory in the highest, I will shout and sing,
Standing on the promises of God. 

Standing, standing,
Standing on the promises of God my Savior;
Standing, standing,
 I’m standing on the promises of God.

Standing on the promises that cannot fail,
When the howling storms of doubt and fear assail,
By the living Word of God, I shall prevail,
  Standing on the promises of God.

Standing on the promises, I now can see
Perfect, present cleansing in the blood for me;
Standing in the liberty where Christ makes free,
  Standing on the promises of God.

Standing on the promises of Christ the Lord,
Bound to Him eternally by love’s strong cord,
Overcoming daily with the Spirit’s sword,
  Standing on the promises of God.

Standing on the promises I shall not fall,
List’ning every moment to the Spirit’s call.
Resting in my Savior as my All in all,
  Standing on the promises of God.

So what does it mean to stand on God’s promises? It means believing in what God has declared even when you can’t see it with your natural eyes. It means recalling every Word God has proclaimed over you as a child of God and believer in Christ. It is remembering that God’s Word never fails. It means knowing that when people in your life break their promises to you, God hasn’t and will never break His.

Click for 365 Promises from God’s Word. Hold on to them, and trust that God will do what he says He will do.

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Yvonne Marie, M.Ed. is the author of Kill the Busy Save the Bee: What It Really Means to Be Still and Know and Write For Christ Sake: A Guide to Kick-Start Your Book Journey for Jesus. She is the owner of Your Book Journey Consulting, LLC, a thriving business on a mission to help writers, speakers, ministry leaders, and business owners write and publish books. With a master’s degree in education and over two decades of teaching and ministry experience, she has developed the ability to effectively educate, motivate, and inspire others through her gifts of writing, speaking, and teaching. Yvonne Marie is married to Jonathan, owner of I-Witness Photography, LLC, and they have two sons. You can find her at yvonnemariespeaks.com.