But You Promised!

Imagine with me for a moment: You are walking through the grocery store, picking up the last item on your list. Six feet down the aisle, you witness a conversation between a father and daughter. "But you promised!" the daughter exclaimed with tears in her eyes. You cannot quite make out her father's response but witness him kneeling to be eye to eye with his daughter. His body language exudes tenderness. He reaches for his daughter's hand. With his other hand, he wipes her tears. As he speaks, the tears stop flowing. Her breathing slows down. He wraps his arms around her; she squeezes tightly. 

This picture I have painted for you can be likened to us, the daughter, and God, our Father. I don't know about you, but I have certainly been that little girl depicted in the story. However, instead of allowing the embrace of my Heavenly Father to bring comfort and clarity, I ran. There was a time in my life I had decided He was no longer trustworthy because the things He promised me did not happen as I hoped they would. What a skewed perspective I had! If you replaced me for the little girl in our story, I would have been having a full out tantrum for all to see. Arms flailing and all! (To my mother's chagrin, I was that child in real life.) 

The truth is, sometimes, we want it now. We want the (fill in the blank) now. I mean, God did promise, right? And if we are honest, we really wanted it yesterday. As the product of a microwave generation, we do not fully comprehend and/or value the journey of contending in prayer for God's promises. Yes, I said contend. Friend, you have to pray!! You cannot sit back and wait for things to happen. The idea of "whatever is meant to be will be" is a lie that many have believed. It is an excuse to be lazy and gives us "permission" to relinquish our responsibility and put all the onus on God. Jesus tells the story of the persistent widow as a picture of how we should approach God in prayer: 

Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. Luke 18:1

Friend, don't give up! The promises of God are YES concerning you. (Read 2 Corinthians 1:20). Don't stop praying. Don't stop believing. Don't stop trusting.

He [Abraham] was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises. Romans 4:22

Until Next Time, 

Live Audaciously!

Kay Naomi