“According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises.” II Peter 1:3-4a KJV
Every promise in the book is mine, Every chapter, every verse, every line,
All are blessings of His love divine, every promise in the book is mine!
Do you remember singing this chorus at Sunday School? It is a catchy tune and easy to sing but is it true? Is every promise given in scripture one we can claim as ours?
God always keeps His promises. Solomon stressed this in his speech at the dedication of the temple in 1Kings 8:56 “Blessed be the LORD, that hath given rest unto his people Israel, according to all that he promised: there hath not failed one word of all his good promise.”
Personally, there are some promises that I read, especially in the books of the prophets, that I do not want to claim as mine. As we read of the judgment that the Lord promised to pour out on Israel, we certainly hope that the Lord has not promised that to us. Of course, we can learn from the mistakes they made that caused the judgment to be pronounced. But we do not claim those promises as ours. The Bible does tell us in II Timothy 3:16 that “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.”
Think of the promise that God made to Abraham and Sarah. I cannot imagine having to raise a child at the age they were when God fulfilled His promise to them.
So, I do not believe that we can say every promise in the Bible is ours. BUT God has made wonderful promises in the Word that are for you and me today. Over the next few days, we will consider familiar promises that we can trust the Lord to keep.
Thought For Today: What is your favourite promise in God’s Word? Has it been fulfilled in your life?
Devotion by Anne Johnston
