1 Samuel 1:18 Then she (Hannah) went back and began to eat again, and she was no longer sad.
A promise from the Word of God or from the mouth of a prophet must change us before it changes the situation around us. The strength of the promises rests on the muscle of the Promise Maker. Faith in the promises of God is the horsepower that turns the wheel. The promise sinks into the depth of our heart, turns into a substance of faith, stronghold and security.
Statistically 80% of the promises that people make with themselves, to others or to God are broken. Good people make promises but good character keeps them. The Lord God is the only “promise keeper” who will never stagger, forget or tamper His promise. “Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you (Isaiah 49:15). When we trust His Word, the promise will creep into the crevices of our heart and become the foundation of our joy and jubilee.
Hannah was childless; her husband Elkanah loved her but in the Middle Eastern culture, if a woman was barren for more than 10 years, the husband would be forced into polygamy. His second wife Peninnah reproduced babies like rabbits and was deleterious towards Hannah. The servitude of barrenness broke Hannah and she was overwhelmed with sorrow even during the yearly celebrations and festivals. During one such family gathering Hannah, overburdened by the ruse and ridicule of Peninnah, went into the temple of God to sob her heart out. The Lord God, through the assuring words of the High Priest, promised to bless Hannah with a child. The Bible says, the promise turned Hannah’s sorrow into joy. Before she conceived the promise in her womb, joy was birthed in her heart.
Divine Promises will mend us before it amends the crisis:
- Temperament: Promise will instill hope and change our temper into a Godly temperament. Disappointment leads to frustration and prolonged frustration turns into anger. Unresolved anger infiltrates into bitterness and wrath. Meditating on the promises turns our disappointments into God-appointments, indoctrinates frustrations into perseverance and induces joy, peace and rest to our soul. Promises reform our temperament into gentleness and calmness.
- Thermostat: Promise becomes the thermostat of our soul. When inundated by challenges, worries or anxiety, stop and allow the thermostat to calm your mind. Reminding and revisiting the promises of God keeps our mind and body at the right temperature. Too much pressure will make us hot and too much worry will freeze us with fear. Promise is the thermostat that maintains the calidity and the climate.
- Tenacity: Promise makes us mentally tough. Promises of God are like gumboots that crush the thorns of the curses and pound over the prickles of the past. The joy in Hannah’s heart flushed out the resentment and the residue of the past to make room for the promise. Fickle soul is festered with frustrations but a tenacious soul is toughened by the promises. Promises make us tenacious.
When the stratagem of the promise becomes the foundation of our faith we will not be sad, stressed or subjugated. Faithfulness is His temperament and truthfulness is His character. So, rest on the promises of God.
Mark 5:36 Do not be afraid; only believe.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, You are my source, my strength and my shield. May the confidence that I have in your faithfulness be the thermostat of my soul. Amen.
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