Martha Olawale

“Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations. The Lord is trustworthy in all he promises and faithful in all he does.” Psalm 145:13

God is trustworthy, and His promises are the bedrock on which we flourish and the air with which we ride on the wings of hope. Without them, there is no faith, and Christianity would be an empty box. God’s promises cover all that pertains to the life and godliness of His children. Our journey starts with the promise of forgiveness and culminates in a life of asking in hope for our daily bread as we walk toward our promised home in Heaven.

We bought a book of God’s promises for our children when they were younger, and they read it before they went to bed each night. It was a little book with different titles that started with “God promises to...” I can still hear my daughter’s voice reading it; “God promises never to leave me, God promises to provide for me, God promises to lead me, etc.. Years after, those words still ring in my ears. Remembering God’s promises gives our life meaning and makes navigating it more explicit, knowing there is a bright light at the end of each tunnel. It’s so important for all of us to remember them.

I love the Bible because it is the story of a good God and is filled with promises of courage and strength for any weary traveler needing a reminder of God's unrelenting love. I love all of God’s promises, even those that convict me. I live daily with my heart and soul hanging on God’s faithfulness to His promises. The walls of my home are filled with them, and my heart affirms them because I’ve seen them come through for me many times.

However, with God's promises come our responsibilities, and while He is committed to His side of the bargain, it does not excuse our responsibilities. We might have to get our hands dirty to eat the fruits from a blessed garden or burn a pinky to enjoy the best homemade bread. When God says, “I am your Jehovah Jireh,” it does not mean you sit in one room and expect to be fed modern manna from Heaven. While He is committed to His promise to provide for you, you still have to work, and He’ll bless that. The bottom line is that you participate in the process of God fulfilling His promise for your life.

Our responsibility demands that we learn to fight before we get in the ring; if not, we’ll be knocked out with the first punch. Learn to swim before we jump into an ocean; otherwise, we’ll drown. We must follow the path when God instructs us about what He wants to do through us. If God says you will write to bless His people, you have to learn what you need for the assignment: get a degree, read more, and get a mentor. If He says you will be an employer, you must learn to lead and master the trade He commits in your hands. God’s promises are everlasting, but to experience them, we must live with a sense of responsibility.