Jump Start # 3109

1 Kings 8:56 “Blessed be the Lord! He has given rest to His people Israel according to all He has said. Not one of all the good promises He made through His servant Moses has failed.”

Our verse today follows Solomon’s long prayer at the dedication of the new temple that he constructed. Throughout his prayer he reminded himself and the people that God  has kept what He had promised. God said, and it came about. God promised and not only did God remember, but He kept His promises. This ancient reminder is good for us today in these troublesome times.

First, God is faithful. We get disappointed and hurt by the broken promises and empty words that so many say today. Vows are broken, commitments not kept and people get let down. We wonder who we can trust. Just who can we believe? The answer of course is the Lord. The time table from Moses to Solomon is measured in centuries. God kept all His promises He made through Moses. Time meant nothing to the Lord.

Second, because we don’t always keep our word, does not mean that God is that way. Rightly or not, people will make an evaluation and a judgment about God from what they see in us. Some may declare that there are hypocrites in the church. Probably true. But God is not that way. The church is not perfect. I would agree with that. But the Lord that we follow is. Although we may disappoint and let others down, God hasn’t and God won’t.

Third, in the days of darkness and valleys that never seem to end, God’s word is something that we know is sure and true. Often no one else understands what we go through. Some will make grand statements revealing that they don’t have a clue as to what they are talking about. However, God knows. And, even in the dark periods of our lives, God’s word shines true. Greater is He who is in us than he who is in the world, is what John wrote. That promise from God ought to be meaningful to us.

Fourth, the truths that we have believed and held for years we know remain true. God doesn’t change His mind. He doesn’t take back promises. The hope of Heaven, the blessing of forgiveness, the assurance that He will never leave us and the promise that we will see His face are all things that ring true. They were true during World Wars. They were true when governments were toppled. They were true when disease and death plagued villages. They were true when corruption filled state houses. They were true when evil raised it’s head. They remain true when the darkness of mass shootings, the fear of rising trouble fills our hearts. For the soldier in the foxhole, the patient in a hospital bed, for the parent who buries a child, for those who do not know how they will feed their family, the promises of God ring true. God keeps His word.

This is a message that we must share with others. Our hope comes from Heaven, not the White House, Court house or even our own houses. Darkness creates worry, fear and an uneasiness. And, as Solomon was joyously celebrating the opening of the Temple, his words from ancient Israel would have brought images of Egyptian armies pursuing, hungry days in the wilderness and wondering if they ought to turn back. God took care of them. God promised. God kept His promises.

Knowing that someone greater than we are, not only sees what is going on, but He has made promises that are not changed by the times. His promises are not touched by what is going on around us. God promised Abraham a land. Solomon refers to that in his dedication prayer. Years, Egyptians, Seas, wilderness, fortified cities, none of those things changed what God promised.

And, for you and I, politics, wars, hard times, isolation—none of those things will change what God has promised. Greater is He who is in us. He is greater than any evil. He is greater than Satan. He is greater than any trouble. He is greater than an army. He is greater than any politician. No laws, no wars, no governments can thwart the promises of God.

Not one of the promises failed. Not one. 100% success rate. 100% fulfilled. God said it, and it will be.

These are the things that we need to wrap our hearts around.

Roger