The promises of God

As a general rule in life, I try to avoid making promises.  There are two times I can remember making a promise -- one was when I promised to love and to cherish and to be faithful to my husband all my life.  The second  instance was at the dedication of my children when I promised to raise them and to teach them about Jesus.  Beyond these, I know that life is so crazy that promises can be broken.  When the kids ask if we can do something, I often answer with a "we'll see" sort of answer (which probably drives them crazy!). 

We have a God who always keeps his promises!  Let me share a story from 2 Chronicles 13.  Abijah was king of Judah.  Jeroboam was king of Israel.  There was a war between these two nations.  Jeroboam's soldiers outnumbered Abijah's 2 to 1.  Abijah stood up and gave a rousing speech to his army, speaking of how Israel was unfaithful to God but that his nation, Judah, had not forsaken God and remained faithful to Him.  He declares the truth that God was going before them.  Unknown to Abijah, Jeroboam had sent an ambush around behind Judah.  When the people saw that they were surrounded, they "cried to the Lord." Verse 15 says, "God defeated Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah."  The victory belonged to God alone. As I read this story, I see what seems like the great faithfulness of Abijah and Judah. 

However, this is not the whole story.    1 Kings 15:1-8 gives more detail about Abijah.  In this passage, we read that Abijah "walked in all the sins that his father did before him, and his heart was not wholly true to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father."  Abijah was not a great man of faith as it seems in the 2 Chronicles passage.  This is where the promises of God come in.  God had promised David that he would always have one of his descendants sitting on the throne.  God ALWAYS keeps his promises, and even though Abijah walked in sin and was not fully devoted to God, the Lord made sure that Abijah, as David's descendant, remained king. 

Abijah made a good and right decision to cry out to the Lord when he was under attack.  He was acknowledging his weakness.  However, Abijah was not saved because of this good thing he did.  He was saved because God had made a promise and kept his promise.  1 Kings 15:4 speaks of God acting "for David's sake." 

We, too, can do good and right things, even while our hearts are sinful and not completely devoted to the Lord.  We can know the truth and yet deny it with our actions or words. Our salvation, today, comes not because of the good things we may do or the right words we may say.  Our salvation comes because of the faithfulness of God to keep his promises.  He promised to always have one of his descendants sitting on the throne.  That eternal king is Jesus, who came to the earth, died, paid the penalty for our sins, and rose again.  We must accept the gift of salvation that only Jesus offers us.  As we walk on the path of following Jesus, we will find our hearts and minds divided as Satan attempts to turn us away from the true King.  We must cry out to God for his help and wisdom. God is always faithful to fulfill his promises, even when we falter.  Let us trust Him in everything!