How to Believe in a Promise...

"(S)He plunged into the promise and came up strong." ~Romans 4:20 MSG

1. Have faith in a faithful God. Historically God proves over and over again He is faithful and trustworthy. His character does not change. Since He has proven faithful and is faithful, then we can have faith He will do what He has promised. Believe. Set your heart on His Word. Stand upon the Rock. He will not fail you. Keep the faith. "Let us hold on to the confession of our hope without wavering, since he who promised is faithful." (Hebrews 10:23 CSB)

2. Secure yourself in His truth. We can secure ourselves in the truth of God's Word because God does not and cannot lie. We can secure ourselves, then in the promises of God. We may not see them, yet, and we may not know His plans, but we do know Him. We do know He is trustworthy and true. Therefore, secure yourself "in the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time." (Titus 1:2 NIV)

3. Diligently wait. Waiting for a promise is probably the most challenging aspect of a believer's life. It's even more challenging when you see everyone around you receiving the very promises you're praying for. Waiting, though, develops strength in your faith. "But those who wait for the Lord [who expect, look for, and hope in Him] will gain new strength and renew their power; They will lift up their wings [and rise up close to God] like eagles [rising toward the sun]; They will run and not become weary, They will walk and not grow tired." (Isaiah 40:31 AMP) And faith needs to be developed. This world is full of tribulation and darkness; faith is essential for stability, for protection, and for survival against the powers of the evil one. Diligently wait by serving God, worshiping Him, honoring His commandments, living in gratitude, loving others, believing Him, holding onto hope, praying, and reflecting who He is by the way you live. Grow strong in the wait by doing what you know God has called you to do.

4. Trust unwaveringly. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, body, and soul. Don't let a smidge of doubt creep in and shake you up. Keep standing solid upon Christ, who is your foundation. Be a person of the promise by believing in rain even when there is not one visible cloud in the sky. Noah was such a person of the promise (see Genesis 6). He trusted God so much that he built an ark without ever having the experience of rain, a flood, or of building a boat. He did as God commanded because He trusted in God wholeheartedly. It took years, decades, and even possibly a century to build that ark. (Note: there's debate on the length of time it took but anywhere between 55 to 120 years.) Day by day trust was needed for a promise of something inconceivable to occur. God fulfilled the promise, and Noah's boat floated and saved him and his family. Keep trusting God for rain even when you cannot see a cloud in the sky.

5. Value His presence more than His promise. God's presence is more important than His promise. His presence is the most important thing we can have in our life. Therefore, we must value His presence more than His promise. Believe in the promise, but don't make it into an idol. Keep God's presence as what you value more than His promise. When the Israelites were brought out of Egypt, God was ever-present with them. Yet, they still didn't believe in His promise. They doubted and fretted even when they were brought to the Promised Land (see Numbers 14). They continually rejected God's presence and because they did, they didn't receive His promise. The ones--Joshua and Caleb--who believed God and valued His presence did receive His promise, but they had to wait 40 years for it. There's this beautiful exchange in Deuteronomy 31 when Moses is instructing Joshua to enter into the promise. He says to Joshua, "Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you.” (verse 8) The Lord will not fail nor abandon you. Believe in His promise, but first, believe in Him and value His presence. He is faithful.

"And you have done what you promised, for you are always true to your word."

Nehemiah 9:8