Welcome to this week’s blog. This week I am doing a deep dive into God’s 7 promises in the Bible. But of course, these are only a very small select few of God’s promises to His children. I recently came across this picture on Facebook, from Gods411 wall, and felt compelled to elaborate on the seven promises captured in the photo. This blog topic, God's 7 Promises, is a three week series starting today, 1/8, 1/15, and 1/22/23. Feel free to come back each Sunday and follow this series to see what my research has uncovered regarding the 7 Promises from God.
So, with a little research into what exactly are God’s biblical promises, both in the Old and New Testaments, I discovered, not at all to my own amazement, there are many more than seven promises from God. More like countless promises in scripture. Christians and those alike, can trust and believe He has, and will continue to keep His word to us.
Unlike man, who makes promises to family and friends every day, and then miserably fails to keep his word; God has made promises of what He will do for us, and will keep them all the days of our lives. God’s promises have never failed. Scripture proves this. His word, and the fulfillment of His word is what makes Him a trusting God.
As a small sample, we have the following promises from God:
God reminds us daily,
1. I am your strength.
2. I will never leave you.
3. I have plans for you to prosper.
4. I hear your prayers.
5. I will fight for you.
6. I will give you peace.
7. I always love you.
Because the above seven promises are broad in nature, and surely not an all-encompassing list of promises scriptures shows us in the Bible, I felt duty-bound to write a series of blogs on God’s promises. Why multiple blogs? Because when we think about God’s nature, nothing is too large, to great or impossible for Him. This means that there are many, many more promises spoken by God in the Bible, aside from the seven listed above. Over the course of the next several weeks, my blogs will be elaborating on “God’s 7 Promises.”
Each week I will provide biblical stories, parables, and scripture that undoubtedly prove that not only did God reassure man of His promises, but to trust in His word. He promises He will be our strength, and never leave us. He has plans to prosper us. He hears our prayers. He will always fight for us. He will give us peace, and most importantly His love endures forever.
Let’s get started. This blog covers Genesis 21:1-7, Exodus 3:10-20 and Numbers 10:29-34 from the New King James (NKJ) Bible.
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Genesis 21: 1-7 – the story of Abraham and Sarah
And the Lord visited Sarah as He had said, and the Lord did for Sarah as He had spoken. For Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him. And Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him--whom Sarah bore to him--Isaac. Then Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him.
Now Abraham was one hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. And Sarah said, "God has made me laugh, and all who hear will laugh with me." She also said, "Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? For I have borne him a son in his old age." – Genesis 21:1-7 (NKJ).
This scripture is referring to the birth of Isaac. Abraham and Sarah were married. Sarah prayed to God for many, many years to conceive a baby with Abraham. After years of praying, Sarah had lost hope in God, and never understood why God would not bless their lives with a baby.
Taking matters into her own hands, as many of us do when we are not willing to wait on the Lord, and His plan for our lives, Sarah requested that Abraham go to their servant Hagar, and conceive a child with her, so Sarah could raise a baby. Sarah desperately wanted a child, and so Abraham did as Sarah requested. Abraham and Hagar (their servant) did have a child together, and Sarah and Abraham were to raise the child as their own. But God had different plans for Abraham and Sarah.
When Abraham was 100 years old, and Sarah believed she was beyond childbearing years, it was then that God blessed them with a child. God did keep His promise to Sarah. He answered Sarah’s prayer to conceive a baby, but not in Sarah’s timeline, but God’s timeline.
Who could believe that Abraham would have a son at 100 years of age, and live to raise his child to adulthood? But doing the impossible is God’s everyday miracles. Man’s problem is we too aren’t willing to wait on God’s promise to answer our prayers. So, we do what Sarah did, take matters into our own hands, and then pay a consequence thereafter.
Because of Sarah’s doubts, worries and fears, and taking matters into her own hands, she had actually forfeited the peace she could have felt in God’s wonderful promises to her. Our way to bring peace to our troubled heart is to focus on God’s promises. God tells us every day, I hear your prayers. I will give you peace. We must trust Him to do what He says He’s going to do.
Exodus 3:10-20 – God’s instructions and promises to Moses
Come now, therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt." But Moses said to God, "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?" So, He said, "I will certainly be with you. And this shall be a sign to you that I have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain."
Then Moses said to God, "Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they say to me, 'What is His name?' what shall I say to them?" And God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM." And He said, "Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you.' "
Moreover, God said to Moses, "Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: 'The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is My name forever, and this is My memorial to all generations.'
Go and gather the elders of Israel together, and say to them, 'The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared to me, saying, "I have surely visited you and seen what is done to you in Egypt; and I have said I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, to a land flowing with milk and honey." '
Then they will heed your voice; and you shall come, you and the elders of Israel, to the king of Egypt; and you shall say to him, 'The Lord God of the Hebrews has met with us; and now, please, let us go three days' journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God.' But I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not even by a mighty hand. So, I will stretch out My hand and strike Egypt with all My wonders which I will do in its midst; and after that he will let you go. – Exodus 3:10-20 (NKJ).
This is a story of God instructions to Moses. God instructed Moses to lead God’s people (the children of Israel) out of Egypt, in order to bring them up, and out of their afflictions from the King of Egypt, Pharaoh. God has two promises here. One is that when Moses brings God’s people out of Egypt, He is promising to give them a land flowing with milk and honey. What does this mean? This is a poetic word picture, expressing the beauty and productivity of God’s promised land. This also means God promises to always be by our side, and to never leave us. God promises to protect us and prosper our lives.
God’s second promise to Moses in this story - God promised to Moses that He will strike Egypt with all of His wonders, which He would do in its midst, which will then force Pharaoh to release God’s children of Israel out of Egypt. Moses had to trust in the Lord with all of His heart and soul that what God promised, would truly be fulfilled. And it was. Scripture was fulfilled. God’s promised to never leave Moses, and to help Moses prosper. The children of Israel were led out of Egypt by Moses, because Moses held firmly to God’s promises along the way. God tells us every day, I am your strength and I will fight for you. We must trust Him to do what He says He’s going to do.
Numbers 10: 29-34 – the continued story of God’s promises to Moses as he leads the Israelites to the promised land.
Now Moses said to Hobab the son of Reuel the Midianite, Moses' father-in-law, "We are setting out for the place of which the Lord said, 'I will give it to you.' Come with us, and we will treat you well; for the Lord has promised good things to Israel." And he said to him, "I will not go, but I will depart to my own land and to my relatives." So, Moses said, "Please do not leave, inasmuch as you know how we are to camp in the wilderness, and you can be our eyes. And it shall be, if you go with us--indeed it shall be--that whatever good the Lord will do to us, the same we will do to you." So, they departed from the mountain of the Lord on a journey of three days; and the ark of the covenant of the Lord went before them for the three days' journey, to search out a resting place for them. And the cloud of the Lord was above them by day when they went out from the camp. – Numbers 10:29-34 (NKJ).
Here in the Book of Numbers, we see a continuation of God’s promises to Moses. Moses is begging his father-in-law (Hobab) to come with him into the wilderness where they are to camp out. Moses asked Hobab to help be the eyes of protection, letting Hobab know his desert skills were needed. Moses is also reminding Hobab of God’s promise - whatever the Lord will do for us, He will also do for you. And if we read further on in the story, we can see yet another promise from God. God promises to go before them in their journey into the wilderness to help find them a resting place. God also promises during their three-day journey, He will be with them or above them, watching over them, by day when they left the camp.
The promises God made in this story is also applicable to our own lives today. God continues to promise to always go before us. When we are in troubled waters, He promises to go before us, and He will protect us. When the cloud of the Lord is above us, we can always be assured that God is with us. Just as in the days of Moses, God promised then, and still promises us today, I hear your prayers, I will give you peace, I am your strength, I will fight for you, and I will never leave you. We must trust Him to do what He says He’s going to do.
Blessings until next week! Check back and follow my blogs, Sunday the 15th, and the 22nd to learn more. Questions during this series are welcome. Just send me your comments when you reach the end of each blog via my website.
Debra Pauli Unstoppable Believer
Scripture Quotes: Holy Bible: New International Version (NIV) / New King James (NKJ) / English Standard Version (ESV)
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