Does God Keep His Promises?

Have you ever felt like God promised you something and you still have not seen it?  Did it seem impossible when He made the promise?  Many of us have those kind of thoughts that run through our heads when it comes to the promises of God.  We all have had someone make a promise and then break it or tell us they made that promise.  We all have heard politicians from every political circle and persuasion make promises to get elected and then turn around and do the opposite of what they promised.

The good news is that God is different.  Numbers 23:19 tells us "God is not a man, that he should lie. He is not a human, that he should change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it through?" Again in 1 Samuel 15:29 we find "And he who is the Glory of Israel will not lie, nor will he change his mind, for he is not human that he should change his mind!" God also says of Himself in Psalm 89:33-35 "But I will never stop loving him, nor let my promise to him fail. No, I will not break my covenant; I will not take back a single word I said.  I have sworn an oath to David, and in my holiness I cannot lie:"  Then again in Hebrews 6:18: "it is impossible for God to lie."

Many may say that because God does not immediately fulfill His promises He is a liar, but God also says that His ways are not our ways (Isaiah 55:8).  Sometimes God takes weeks, even years or decades to fulfill His promises.  He told Abraham that he would have a son, and after a long time, he took matters into his own hands and had a son, but it wasn't the way God intended.  It wasn't till about 16 years later that God fulfilled His promise and at 100, Abraham had a son through Sarah, who was 90.  That was the fulfillment of God's promise.  He told Hannah she would have a son and she did.  He promised destruction on Israel and it came.  He promised blessings on people in the bible and it came.

But you may say, that was then, this is me.  How do I know God made a promise to me and that He will keep it?  Believe me, I know it's hard to fathom God promising something and then not trusting yourself that it was God.  Let me bring you to my point.  A little over a year ago, I felt God had promised me I would have a son, and that it would be  a sign of what He is doing in my life and in my family.  I laughed because at the time we had an 11 year old daughter.  We had at least 2 miscarriages and had seen doctors to find out the reason why.  Still no luck. At the time God made the promise, it was rather unlikely if not impossible for it to happen.  In a word, we had given up.  When He told me this, He also told me not to tell anyone, so I didn't.  I wasn't sure if I believed it anyway but I thought why should I tell anyone if it seems so absurd and impossible.  Fast forward to today.  Almost a year after I felt God had promised me a son, my wife said she thought she might be pregnant.  I suddenly remembered the promise and I couldn't help but smile.  When it was confirmed, I finally felt the release to tell my wife and others about the promise.  Because of the promise, we were sure it was a boy.  Now my thoughts went crazy and I began to think that maybe I heard wrong.  Then logic set in and I thought, the pregnancy part was right, then why not the rest of it?  I suddenly wondered if the son part of the promise was just wishful thinking.  Yesterday, we had our 21 week ultrasound.  And guess what.  Its a boy.  My heart swelled and I am so excited.  Not only are we having another child, but I heard the entire promise from God correctly.  Was I holding my son a year after the promise?  No, in fact I won't be able to hold him until December, almost 2 years after God made the promise.  Does that mean God lied? No, He said in about a year I would have a son.  My interpretation of that was that I would be holding my son in about a year and not just finding out he was on his way. 

God's promises are always true.  They may not happen the way we imagine them, but they will happen.  Although we have a 13 year old daughter, we are proud to say that God kept His promise and it happened just as He said.  Not like I expected, but just as He said.  So if God has made you a promise or you read a promise from His word, you can rest assured it will happen.  You just have to remember that His ways are not our ways and so it may not be fulfilled the way your mind pictures it.  But you can trust the promises of God.  He ALWAYS keeps His promises.