2nd Corinthians 1:20 For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.
We are living at a time in earth’s history when it will become even more important for us to trust in the mighty promises God has given us to live by. At such a time as this, when morale is low, when death and diseases have overspread the land, and when there is a stoical intransigence among political leaders the promises of God should be looming ever larger in our minds as we transition to living by faith alone.
As the passage above teaches us, all of the promises of God, in Christ Jesus are yes, and Amen; meaning, that God’s promises are certain, and can absolutely be depended upon, in those who believe and obey, according to the light and knowledge shed upon our pathway.
But what we need to understand is that there are factors which affect the fulfilment of the promises, and there are elements contained in them that are to be studied very carefully, so that our faith would not be shaken, if and when God’s promises may not always be fulfilled as some expect.
Again, there are promises which address every need of man, ranging in scope from man’s protection and provisions for all that pertains to life, onto salvation, and eternal life; and yes, the promises do also cover diseases, cures, prosperity and health. They are all to be found in the scriptures, and the reason why they are written is so that we should believe, for they apply across the board to all who will believe. Let’s read:
3rd John 1:2 Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospers.
Psalms 34:6 This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.
7 The angel of the Lord encamps round about them that fear him, and delivers them.
8 O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusts in him.
Psalms 103:2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.
3 Who forgives all thine iniquities; who heals all thy diseases;
4 Who redeems thy life from destruction; who crowns thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;
5 Who satisfies thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's.
Isaiah 40: 29 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increases strength.
31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
Hebrews 11: 32 And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephtha; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets.
33 Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions.
34 Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight, the armies of the aliens.
However, there is an anatomy of the promises, that would shed great light on the where, when and how of fulfillment. When this anatomy is understood our faith in God will be greatly strengthened and we will serve Him intelligently, knowing that God does what He does in perfection, always!
Thus, we will use as our case-study the certain Jews, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who, through faith in God’s promises had been delivered from the fiery flames, which was kindled seven times hotter, in response to their utter refusal to bow down to the golden image, that had been set up in the plain of Dura.
Nebuchadnezzar had at that time issued a mandate for the false worship of his golden image, which was actually a form of rebellion against what The Lord of heaven had plainly revealed to him earlier. Babylon was never to stand forever, just as any other earthly kingdom which will inevitably meet with demise.
But the king insisted on doing the exact opposite of what God showed him, and in his stubbornness, he issued a mandate for forced worship, a decree that had cut right across the path, and convictions of the Hebrew young men, and in response, they uttered sacred truths that are based upon the anatomy of God’s promises. Let’s read:
Daniel 3:1 Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof six cubits: he set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon.
2 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent to gather together the princes, the governors the captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the image which the king had set up.
4 Then a herald cried aloud, To you it is commanded O people, nations, and languages,
5 That at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of music, ye fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up.
6 And whosoever falls not down and worships shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.
8 Wherefore at that time certain Chaldeans came near, and accused the Jews.
9 They spoke, and said to the king Nebuchadnezzar, O king, live forever.
10 Thou, O king, hast made a decree, that every man that shall hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of music, shall fall down and worship the golden image.
11 And whoso falls not down and worships, that he should be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.
12 There are certain Jews whom thou hast set over the affairs of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; these men, O king, have not regarded thee: they serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
13 Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Then they brought these men before the king.
14 Nebuchadnezzar spoke and said unto them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, do not ye serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up?
15 Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of music, ye fall down and worship the image which I have made; well: but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?
16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.
17 If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.
18 But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
There are three critically important phrases in the above verses which highlight the anatomy of God’s promises, and if we were to grasp the sacred truths that are contained therein, we could become very firmly entrenched in our relationship with God, and in the mighty promises He has given us to live by.
Here are those three phrases juxtaposed together and highlighted: [1] God is able. [2] He will deliver. [3] But if not.
Let’s start with the first element in the anatomy of God’s promises: [1] “God is able”
Before claiming any promises of God, we will need to be reconciled to the fact that “God is able”. The very same God who healed Hezekiah and Naaman, the same Jesus who in His day healed multitudes of people who came to Him is still alive and well today.
And, His hand is not shortened that it cannot save, for God is quite able to do abundantly more than we can ask or think. Thus, the fact that God is able, will give structural integrity to the anatomy of His promises, for whatsoever He has promised, He is well able to perform. Let’s read:
Ephesians 3:20 Now unto him that is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,
21 Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages.
Luke 6:17 And he came down with them, and stood in the plain, and the company of his disciples, and a great multitude of people out of all Judaea and Jerusalem and from the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon, which came to hear him, and to be healed of their diseases;
18 And they that were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed.
19 And the whole multitude sought to touch him: for there went virtue out of him, and healed them all.
However, in most cases, the fulfillment of a promise is contingent upon one’s ability, and our willingness to believe, because faith in God’s ability to do what He has promised is the very first step in accessing the promises. In other words, the belief that “God is able” would determine to a great extent, whether the fulfillment of His promise will apply in our particular situation. Let’s read:
Matthew 9:27 And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed him, crying, and saying, Thou son of David, have mercy on us.
28 And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him: and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto him, Yea, Lord.
29 Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you.
It is to be observed, that in the current crisis, the overwhelming majority of experts leave God out of the picture, hence the reason why you would often hear the following statement spoken on radio and television: “Science will save us”. Thus, in all of the ongoing efforts to mitigate the pandemic, the name and the power of God is hardly, if ever, mentioned.
Now, although God has gifted men and women with an increase of knowledge and understanding in the sciences, it is not His will that we tackle crises such as the current one, without consulting with Him, for the exercise of knowledge, independent of God will often lead to perplexity, which is one of the results that are scheduled to occur more and more, as we move forward into unchartered territory.
This leads us to the second element in the anatomy of God’s promises, for now that we’ve established beyond the shadow of a doubt, from the scriptures, that He is able to deliver, the next obvious question is “Will He deliver? The answer to this question as it pertains to the believer, is an absolute yes.
The three Hebrew worthies exhibited a clear and an unambiguous understanding of God’s promises, for in their reply to Nebuchadnezzar, they manifested no wavering, uncertainty, or doubt, as to whether God will come through for them. Their answer was in the definite positive, as it must always be for all those who trust In God. Let’s read:
Daniel 3:17 If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.
The certain Jews were not speaking like this from a perspective of arrogance, or overconfidence. They were basing their conclusions on promises which were written in the scriptures, and as such we must be very careful when evaluating the motivations of persons who trust implicitly in God.
Unshakeable confidence in God should never, ever be misconstrued for arrogance, if such confidence is based upon what is written. God wants everyone of us to believe unto death, the promises that are in His word, for this is what is included when the Bible states unequivocally: “Man shall live by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.”
It was the prophet Isaiah, who was moved upon by The Holy Spirit, to write promises for such a time as this, as the three Hebrews were currently enduring, and therefore, wherever the situation warrants the claiming of God’s promises, we too must manifest unshakeable confidence in God’s word. Let’s read:
Isaiah 43:1 But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.
2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.
3 For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Savior.
This leads us to the third, and extremely important element in the anatomy of God’s promises: “But if not”.
This one right here is the one that often causes folks to stumble, for if God is able, and we have exhibited an unshakeable confidence in Him based upon what He has promised, then the question is: How does the phrase “But if not” figure into the equation?
It is worthy of note that there were other believers who did not fare as well, and they too must have rehearsed the promises written in Isaiah, yet, just like the three Hebrew worthies, they manifested unshakeable confidence in God, even unto death.
In fact, the those who died by the stake were just as much heroes of faith like the Hebrew worthies who walked through the fire without being burned. All of them without exception remembered the promises. However, they left the fulfilment up to The Lord, who would always do what is best and right in their particular circumstance, and because of this, their faith was not shaken, even though it was severely tried. Let’s read:
Hebrews 11:36 And others had trial of cruel mocking and scourging, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment.
37 They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented;
38 They wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.
39 And all these obtained a good report through faith.
Romans 8: 28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
Like all those who would follow in their footsteps, our understanding of the anatomy of promises must include the three basic, fundamental, and structural elements namely: [1] God is able. [2] He will deliver. [3] But if not. When these fundamentals are understood, it leaves in God’s hand the exercise of discretionary power to do or to permit whatsoever will be best in any given situation.
Therefore, as we confront Omicron, Delta, Beta, and every other variant found in the Greek alphabet, we too must have clear understanding of the anatomy of God’s promises. And like those who in times past, had trial of faith and stood unshaken, we absolutely must include the three fundamental elements: [1] God is able. [2] He will deliver. [3] But if not.
It is imperative in the exercise of faith, that we seek to employ all of the principles, and laws which God has given us to live by. In addition to these we must remember that, as the time for Christ’s 2nd coming draws near, final movements would be rapid ones, and as such we should be prepared to adapt to any situation which God would deem best for us.
The health message, which is the right arm of the gospel, must be adopted diligently, for it would go a long way in building robust immune systems which, in tandem with God’s restorative power would then enable us to confront and surmount, many of those diseases that are scheduled to arise during the last days of earth’s history.
Our lives and our salvation are secure in Christ, so whether we live or die, we are The Lord’s, and the same victory that was granted to the three Hebrews in the city of Babylon, will be granted one day to all who believe in Christ. Not one will be lost, and not one will be disappointed, if we stay the course with Him.
We therefore end with a passage of scripture which reminds us that we are not alone in our struggles, and if like those who went before, our faith in God remains unmovable, regardless of the vicissitudes of life, then when Jesus comes, we’ll hear the words: “Well done thou good and faithful servant, enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.” Let’s read:
John 16:32 Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own….
33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.
God Bless!