The Process of a Promise

I began this year with reading through the Old Testament, and if I am honest, it was far more profound and enriching than I anticipated! I found so many thematic truths woven throughout various stories and accounts that began to come alive to me.

Years ago I remember reading the story of Joseph, and realizing that his dreams of advancement from God, once fulfilled, actually fed the very people that persecuted him... And that ultimately, God’s promise over Joseph’s life was not just for him! It was for an entire nation, and it was not just a promise of advancement, but provision for countless lives that Joseph never saw in his initial dream.

When I read through accounts of all these different men and women in the Old TestamentI began to see this thread woven throughout the kind of promises God makes. Though a promise from God always held profound personal significance for the individual it was given to, God’s promises also have a much wider field of impact.

True God promises carry purpose and provision far beyond what one person can hold.

Of course, the story of Abraham and Sarah is perfect example of this. We know it well; though being barren and of old age, their greatest earthly desire was for a son. And the son of the promise they eventually received created lasting generations. It is at its core, a story of a fulfilled promise from God that birthed an entire nation and beyond. (You can read through the story beginning in Genesis 12 if you want a refresher)

If you read Abraham and Sarah’s account, it was far from a perfectly executed season of waiting. And yet, in Hebrews 11 they are still counted among those that obtained God’s promises through the working of their faith.

Their process to promise was riddled with pain, doubt, and uncertainty. And it was also filled with blessings, natural advancement, God moments, and visitations from the Lord.

I think it is important when we are in the space between knowing something and experiencing it, to be equipped with the knowledge that there will be the existence of both/and moments. (Both good times and difficult times, both joy and pain, etc.) Also, there is a purpose to the process. We hear sayings like, ‘enjoy the journey’ that elude to this understanding. Though if we are honest it’s far easier said than done, and Abraham was no exception to this.

Genesis 15:1 is one of what I consider the most awesome power statements by the Lord to Abraham (Abram at the time),

“Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, and your exceedingly great reward.”

When I read through all the encounters Abraham had with God, the last part of God’s statement to him here is what - I believe - the Lord really wanted to get through to him, “I am your reward.” Beyond a lineage, beyond a land, beyond this blessing, God desired the pure loyalty and adoration of Abraham’s heart toward Him.

And simply put, Abraham just didn’t get it.

In his initial response, Abraham essentially responded with a, ‘But God...’ statement, voicing how he did not have what he was initially promised by God – and though he didn’t forsake God or stop following the Lord, he definitely made his complaints known.

Later, in Genesis 17 when God came to Abram again and established covenant with him, He said to him, “Walk before me and be blameless.” The word blameless here can also be translated as “complete”.

God was literally calling and inviting Abraham into finding wholeness in Him and Him alone!

We all most likely remember this part of the story, because it is where God makes a covenant with Abram and changes his name to Abraham. And though this moment was marked with incredible Words from God over his life, even after he received a new name we see Abraham again attempt to reason with God.

Though Abraham had just experienced a defining moment with God, he still had a path of refining moments to walk through before obtaining the promise.

Here is where my perception has changed over the years. For so long, I would have looked at Abraham and his “But God” statements and voicing his own thoughts and questions on how this should go and thought, “Wow, seriously? This is Almighty God you are speaking too – shut your mouth and keep you face on the ground!”

However, what I see time and time again in the stories throughout Scripture is that men and women of God wrestled their deepest frustrations out with God – and it produced.

So how do we traverse the season between the promise and the fulfillment? We contend for it.

We wrestle.

I dare say, if you are in a process do not block your anger. Sadness. Longing. Pain.

Feel it, and take it to God.

There is no emotion to big for Him. We can often will ourselves to denying what we actually feel about a thing.

I have done this. I’ve pressed truths that were bleeding out of my heart, shoved them back inside and told them they don’t belong. I wrapped scriptures tightly over the tops of them to keep them from coming out.

I believe this is what others refer to as ‘stuffing’, and for the life of me whenever I heard it described I never thought it applied to me. It can become difficult to identify this when we are surrounding ourselves with a spiritually sound culture. Hammering the Word is a positive thing! But when we use it as a crutch to not actually name and work through feelings and legitimate frustration – this does nothing but produce a disingenuous existence until we come around, yet again, full circle to encountering the emotion or frustration again.

Be where you are.

Abram didn’t get it at first. At least not in the fullness that God was offering. But God did not leave him or go find someone else to start his covenant with. He was faithful and He waited for Abraham to catch up to what He knew he was capable of.

The process of a promise is faith producing. And promises are obtained by and through our faith (Hebrews 11). So when you find yourself in the midst of the process – you are by nature producing the very substance that will enable you to receive the promise.

Ultimately, like Abraham – God is our reward.

He is the very thing that we long for.

Regardless of the promises of God that you are believing for - the security you crave and are hoping to experience or find in the fulfillment of that promise is actually already accessible to you through communion with God. Right now. What we do or what we have is not who we are. The secure heart position God longed to get through to Abraham is the same message He is desperately conveying to you and me.

When we begin to shift the posture of our heart toward God, we will have lasting results that impact our daily way of living and how we walk with God. I become fully complete in Him, and I can also recognize that there is exists in this natural life assignments and alignments for me to uncover and walk into. These things, whether fulfilled or failed do not define or determine my success because He has already deemed me a successful child that He chose as worthy to be His.

When you are struggling with not seeing a promise in your life, or perhaps struggling to simply identify promises that God does have in your life, remember that God is the rewarder of those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6).

So don’t just sit back and wait. Contend. Seek Him. Lean in to the not knowing.

If I could leave you with one last thing it would be this; In the areas you are in process, be kind to yourself. We rarely condemn our own hearts into victories.

As we learn to love God the way in which He intended for us to, I believe that we find a better and more gentle way to love ourselves as well. We are, after all His creation that He named as His sons and daughters. There really isn’t a more prized seat in all of creation than the one you and I currently sit in.