Promises, Promises

We live in a world where promises are broken all the time.  Couples make promises to one another to marry “until death do us part”, only to later divorce. Leaders make promises to followers and later falter.  Politicians promise to reduce taxes and debt.

So many broken promises make it hard to trust anyone.

But, as the great theologian/poet, Bob Dylan sang in his Slow Train Coming album, “God don’t make promises that He don’t keep!”  (Try singing that with your best Bob Dylan voice.)

Easter is a game changer.  Jesus promised/predicted that after His death that He would rise from the dead on the third day.  That is what He did!

Because of that, He is here to give us what we need for life.  The first “P” that God has given us to succeed in our life and mission is His Presence.  The second “P” that He gave us is POWER- to be transformed into people of courage.

Here is the third “P”:

PROMISE.

The Bible is filled with promises for us, but there is one in particular in James 1:5

If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.

I have to laugh at the Bible sometimes when it says, “IF we lack wisdom…”.  Of course we all do at times and maybe it should read,  “WHEN we lack wisdom…”.  The point is we all need help in making decisions at times.  The promise is that when we ask God, He will give us that wisdom.

This verse is interesting on another level.  Read it below in The Message:

“If you don’t know what you’re doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help. You’ll get his help, and won’t be condescended to when you ask for it. Ask boldly, believingly, without a second thought.”

We learn a little about the character of God also.  Unlike other experiences when we may have asked a question or asked for help and been humiliated, God loves to help.  He won’t look down on you, find a fault, or dis you for asking.

So next time you need wisdom, ask boldly.  He will answer you, and give you the wisdom you need.

What are you asking God for this Easter season?