You have probably heard that God keeps His promises. We can count on HIm no matter what we are facing. But have you ever wondered, “What exactly are those promises? Why is it that my prayers are not seeming to be answered as I hoped?” God is not the Santa Claus in the sky. He didn’t promise that life would always be one happy event after another; although He is the giver of every good gift and we do, thankfully, have happy events in our lives. We also sadness, days when life doesn’t make sense. Seasons when it seems like it rains more than the sun shines. How do we trust God to keep His promises during the dark days?
Well back to our first question, “What exactly are God’s promises?” I decided to look up some of those promises myself and here are few that I found.
John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
God didn’t promise that we wouldn’t encounter sorrow, but He did promise that we will have eternal life if we believe in His Son, Jesus. The BIG question is, “Who is Jesus in your life?” Is He your friend and Savior? Have you made Him Lord in your life? or Is He just another good man, someone you are a fan of, but nothing more?
1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.“ God promises to forgive us when we confess our sins – all we have to do is ask. You can be sure that He is ready to forgive you – yes, time and time again He forgives and He also gives us grace to walk with Him. God loves you. He wants to help you and forgive you. He is not standing over you with a big stick ready to whack you every time you mess-up. He forgives, helps you get back up and guides you into the way He has for you.
Hebrews 13:5 “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” This is one of my favorite promises. If we believe in God and in His Son, Jesus, you can be absolutely sure that He is with you even when you have a hard time seeing through the dark clouds. He is with you. He never forsakes us and He knows exactly what we are going through. He answers prayer and He gives comfort when we encounter darkness or loss. He gives peace and the courage to face our fears.
Proverbs 3:5–6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” Wondering which direction to go next? God promises to show us the way to go when we trust Him and His leading. Our own understanding is limited. We do not see everything God sees, but His understanding is limitless. He can show you the way. He can give wisdom when we ask Him to lead us and give us clear direction.
James 1:5 “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” God said He would give us wisdom generously if we ask, so keep asking.
God has more promises in His Word for you too. When you are going through very hard things, remember, He is there with you. Your circumstances are no surprise to God. Like me, you may have thought, “Why is this happening right now? Why did my refrigerator break down? Why did my car die? Why is my child sick? Why did I lose my mom to cancer? (or many, many other things)” But God reminds us over and over again, “This situation may be surprise to you, but it’s no surprise to me. I have this in my hands. Trust me! Yes, trust me, even on dark, frustrating days. You can trust me in the storm because I am with you and I am the master of the storm.”
Do you need help, strength and comfort? Depend on God’s promises, Abraham did. Ask God for wisdom and see what happens. Yes, there will still be sad times. There will still be days when things just don’t work out the way you were hoping, when your sorrow is great and your finances or your health or something is not quite up to par, but God will be there. His light will shine in the dark and He will continue to lead you, comfort you and encourage you on your journey. He will even weep with you. He has promises just for you too. Just like He did for Abraham. He is faithful! His promises will see you through. Keep trusting!
PARENT OR GRANDPARENT PRAYER:
Father God,
I am so encouraged knowing that you walk with me and give me wisdom every single day. I don’t understand why I struggle with the circumstances in my life on dark days. Why is it that life brings sorrow when it seems like we are doing all the right things. Yet I choose to trust, even in the dark, that the light will come. You will give wisdom and you will restore my hope once again. I have to trust that you know and created beauty in each season of life. You give wisdom when I lack wisdom and you never, ever leave me, but are always reaching out for me in love. You redeem me, forgive me, comfort me and give me the strength to continue on when I have no strength left. I pray for friends right now who are going through very difficult situations and who so need the comfort of your precious Holy Spirit. May they feel that comfort as I cry out to you on their behalf. How I wish I could take some of their sorrow, some of their pain and some of their confusion off their shoulders. I can’t Lord Jesus, but you can. Bear this load for them and renew their hope. May they see beauty somehow in the ashes of their dreams that now lie before them. May our kids see you even when life is hard and may they know that you are the one who is always trustworthy, always faithful and always kind. May they know your deep love for them everyday. Amen
WHAT IS A PROMISE?
* A promise is the assurance or hope on which an expectation can be based, a declaration that something will or will not be done.
* Promise comes from Latin and means to send forth. Whatever God sends forth or whatever comes from the mouth of God will be done. God always does what He says He will do.
* Share your favorite promise from the Bible with your child, learn it together.
IDEAS FOR RELISHING THE LASTFEW DAYS OF SUMMER – JUST FOR FUN
* The kids are going back to school and you have all kinds of things to think about to get them ready for another school year, but summer is still with us so make a little time for fun too.
* You can do some fun things close to home – such as walk a nearby trail and enjoy the beauty of nature.
* Invite some friends over for a S’mores Night or an Ice Cream Sundae creation.
* Sit outside on a blanket and watch the stars come out at night.
* Go to a Drive-In movie – yes there are still a few of these around. You may have to drive awhile, but that’s more of the adventure. In the NW area, there is the Rodeo Drive-In Theater in Bremerton
Kid’s Section
SHARE A STORY: God’s Promise To Abraham – Genesis 13:14-18, 15:5-6, 22:17
TRUST: Knowing that I can love and obey God because He does what He says and He cares for me.
I love the Bible Ap for Kids that you can download free on your I-phone. One fun way of listening to a Bible story with your kids is on this ap. This week show the video, “God’s Amazing Promise”
Last week we heard how God kept His promise to Abraham and gave him a son named Isaac even though Abraham was really old. God always does what He says He will do. Today, we’ll hear about what else God said to Abraham.God led Abraham to a new land the land of Canaan. God took good care of Abraham and his family. He gave Abraham everything he needed and more. One day God said to Abraham, “Look all around you, Abraham. I’m going to give you all the land you can see.”
Abraham looked around. (Stand up and look around.) He looked this way and he looked that way. He looked behind him and he looked straight ahead and He believed what God said to him.
God also told Abraham, “I’m going to give this land to you and your children. I will give you more children than the dust on the ground, (Touch the ground.) the stars in the sky or the sand on the seashore.”(Reach high, reach for the sky.)
That’s a whole lot of kids! God told Abraham that He would give him a BIG family before his son, Isaac was even born. Abraham trusted God. He believed that God would do what He promised because God always does what He says He will do.
Did God keep His promised to Abraham? Yes, He did! God gave Abraham a son, Isaac, He gave Abraham lots of land and a big family. Because Abraham trusted God, he became a part of God’s family and that’s not the end of the story. You are part of God’s story too. God sent His Son, Jesus to earth to rescue you and now you can love and trust God just like Abraham did. God loved Abraham and God loves you. (Give yourself a hug.) You can be sure of that! Abraham loved God and trusted God’s promises to him. You can love and trust God just like Abraham did because God always keeps His promises. He does what He says He will do and He will always care for you.
MEMORIZE: Psalm 31:14 ERV – (Hold hands like holding a book.)
Lord, – (Hold hands outwards)
I trust – (Make fists and pull inwards)
In you – (Point upwards.)
You are my God – (Clap hands.)
PRAYER:
Dear God,
Thank you for loving me. I love you too. I know that you keep your promises. You do what you say you will do. That is how I know I can always trust you. I want Jesus to be my forever friend and I want to live for you. Forgive my mess-ups and mistakes , those times I want my way instead of your way. Thank you for your care every day. Amen
KNOW: I can trust God’s promises.
TALK ABOUT: What are God’s promises?
ASK: Who loves you? God loves me? Who always does what He says He is going to do? God!
What can you do? I can trust God’s promises and thank Him For His love.
FUN IDEAS FOR THIS WEEK
- Count the stars at night – as many as you can see.
- Talk about how God is with you everywhere you go. Have a running conversation with God and your preschooler wherever you go.
- EX: “Thank you God for my friends.” “God, I’m glad mom let me buy my favorite snack at the store.” “Help me be a good listener today.
Faith Steps and More 