Promises, Promises. . . .

We live in a world of guarantees.  Every where you turn another company is telling us that if we try their product there is no risk involved because if we aren't entirely satisfied we can get our money back.  Or, if there is a malfunction with our purchase we can be assured that we will get it replaced so that our consumer experience is satisfactory.

Guarantees, warranties, insurance, it all adds up to a world that makes promise after promise in order to ensure our safety, our well-being, our satisfaction.

But if you stop and really think about it, doesn't it all seem just a bit superficial?  Do these promises bring an abiding sense of protection or peace?  After all, these promises are all limited in nature, they can give a false sense of security because they are all centered around stuff. 

Case in point:  I'm sure that the nuclear power plants in Japan had all kinds of safety protocols, policies that honored environmental legislation, and political assurances that allowed people to feel safe, protected and satisfied that these plants would provide a product, at a resonable rate, all the while guaranteeing them a steady supply of electricity.  That is until an earthquake hit that threw everything into chaos.

Now I'm not saying that warrantees, guarantees or insurance is wrong--it's just that they do nothing to bring a sense of genuine safety or peace to our deep inner being--we need something much bigger, much stronger, much more dependable for that.

Psalm 91:9-12 says this: "If you make the Most High your dwelling--even the Lord, who is my refuge--then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent.  For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone."

Here is another promise, one that comes from God Himself.  He is telling us that if we put our trust--our very lives-- in His hands, He will take care of us.  Do we believe this?  After all, I am betting that there were some Christians in Japan who did experience the loss and chaos of those earthquakes--how did God's promise make sense to them?

I believe that God really does provide physical and manifest protection and provision for His children, although it seems clear in scripture that that doesn't mean that sometimes bad things will happen (thinking of Job here. . .)  However, thinking about God's promise of protection in strictly phyisical ways misses the bigger picture.  Remember, that the promises the world makes are related mostly to the physical and we have this sense of emptiness. . . .

No. What makes God's promises different are that they are not based on a foundation of this world, but they are founded in Him and Him alone.  No earthquake or stock market crash affects what He says or what He does.  His promises stand because He stands far above and beyond the world we live in.

So make your dwelling in the Most High and you will find refuge for your soul.  Begin to understand that a relationship with Jesus is where you will find the most stable place for your heart.  He will provide, physically and spiritually, even if circumstances seem to scream that you are wrong.
Hold fast to Him and you will see what He can do.  Hear His words concerning you: "'Because He loves me', says the Lord, 'I will rescue him.  I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.  He will call upon me, and I will answer him.'"

Yes!!  There is a promise that you can take to the bank.  Throw your life into the hands of the mighty God today and see what He will do. 

I don't think Wal-Mart's price match guarantee really even comes close. . . .

BT