will he keep his promises?
Periodically, during the Advent season, we'll be looking at devotions written by Hispanic pastors in our denomination. Today's devotion was written by Armando Becerra. Armando Becerra is pastor of Rancho en Español (RCA) in Temecula, California.
Psalm 85:8-13
Let me hear what God the Lord will speak,
for he will speak peace to his people,
to his faithful, to those who turn to him in their hearts.
Surely his salvation is at hand for those who fear him,
that his glory may dwell in our land.
Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet;
righteousness and peace will kiss each other.
Faithfulness will spring up from the ground,
and righteousness will look down from the sky.
The Lord will give what is good,
and our land will yield its increase.
Righteousness will go before him,
and will make a path for his steps.
Every year, my children wait anxiously for catalogs filled with new toys for the Christmas season. Each year, they spend hours and hours contemplating and writing down what they want. The list changes every day. They always choose one that that they think they have to have, no matter what. That becomes the toy of the year. Now I have a mission: to get that toy, no matter what.
Some years, I wait until the last minute. Then I find that all the toys have been sold, and there isn’t one for my children. Other years, as soon as they identify the toy they want, I buy it to make sure they will have it. Still, every year my children ask me, “Do you promise that you’re going to get it? Are you going to keep your promise?” They wait anxiously for me to say yes. “Listen to me,” I say. “Listen to what I’m going to tell you: I promise to do my part.” From the day they choose their toy until Christmas Day, it’s a time of frustration, waiting, distrust, anxiety, and impatience. The question on their minds is, “Will Dad be able to get what he promised us?”
We wonder the very same thing about God. Will he keep his promises? In Psalm 85:8, the psalmist says, “Let me hear what God the Lord will speak, for he will speak peace to his people.” One of the things that we can know for sure is that our God is not going to forget to fulfill his promises. We know that he will not wait until the last minute to find out that the store no longer has what he promised. We can rest assured that he will fulfill his promises. Nothing can prevent him from doing so. The psalmist says, “I will listen.” Let us pay attention to God’s words because if he has promised peace, then that peace will come even when it seems that we must wait for a long time.
Prayer: Lord, give me faith to trust in your promises and to wait for their fulfillment. Keep me faithful to you. Amen.