Gen 12:1-2

"Now the LORD had said to Abram: "Get out of your country, From your family And from your father's house, To a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing." Gen 12:1-2

Promises are good. Everyone like to be promised something they want. The problem with promises is that they are only as good as the one who makes the promise.

In our society we find many broken promises. It seems there is nothing keeping a husband and wife from breaking their matrimonial promises. Divorce is at an all time high. Infidelity is even more common.

Many fathers feel there is no problem breaking a promise of a fishing trip to a son or daughter when there is something more important - like free tickets to a professional soccer game or a little extra work at the office. After all, there are more weekends for fishing and those tickets are a one time thing. (They never consider the effect broken promises have on the heart of a child.) Employers are always promising more pay and less work when the reality is just the opposite. Store advertisements promise to have a certain product at a really good price - the product "didn't come in on the last shipment - and no we don't give rain checks on sale items."

Have you paid close attention to commercials lately? What do they sell? Looked at a flower advertisement? Have you ever received a package from them that looks like the product on the advertisement? All of these are selling a promise. "Buy this and you will get that." Often the promises are unfulfilled.

Abram (later called Abraham) was offered a promise, "Go to a country I will show you in the future and I will bless you." Sounds a lot like a telemarketer I talked to the other day. The only difference was that I was talking to a human with a slick line and Abram was talking with the Almighty God. Evidently Abram had had dealings with God before. He trusted Him. Was the promise fulfilled? Certainly. Has God made promises to you? Has he fulfilled them? (Careful before you say "no." His promises are recorded in Scripture. Any other promises you may claim He made - personal prophecy - are subject to human emotion and error.) God promises salvation. He delivers. God promises eternal life. He delivers. God promises answers to prayer. He delivers - but not always the way we want Him to answer. Our God is faithful and true. Hallelujah, Amen and Amen.