DEVOTION FOR WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2017
Waiting Because God Keeps His Promises
In his song, “Soul Anchor,” musician and writer Michael Card celebrated God’s faithfulness: “We are so sure of what we’re waiting for / And certain of the things we do not see / For we are told by the One who cannot lie / And in this hope is our security / It’s a soul anchor, hold on to the hope / It is a soul anchor, and hold on to your courage / Before we call, He answers us with hope.”
We can wait with hope and trust because God keeps His promises. But it’s just as certain that waiting is difficult. This is why the next key ingredient of waiting on the Lord is patience or
perseverance (v. 15). Patience is rooted in God’s covenant faithfulness, that is, knowing that God keeps His promises enables us to be patient. Otherwise, why would we wait? Uncertainty pushes us to wait impatiently, or hopelessly, or perhaps with an angry or complaining spirit. Patience, by contrast, rests in the absolute certainty that God always keeps His promises and that nothing can prevent Him from doing so.
Abraham exemplifies this kind of patience and faith. From God’s initial promise to the birth of Isaac was 25 years—a long time to wait! Not to mention that his and Sarah’s ages made the promise humanly impossible. Yet Abraham believed that God was absolutely trustworthy, and in time he “received what was promised” (v. 15).
Patience was possible because the result was guaranteed. God had not only promised but double-promised. It’s impossible for Him to lie in any case, but to encourage Abraham He had made His purpose and promise even more clear (vv. 13–17). We are
likewise encouraged, for waiting on God’s promises is part of our spiritual experience as well (vv. 18–20).
APPLY THE WORD
The anchor was the symbol used most in art and worship by early Christians, often carved on tombs along with messages of hope in Christ. Spend time today reflecting on the image of an anchor in verses 19 and 20 in today’s reading. How is the Lord your anchor? How can this biblical image encourage you to wait on God?
Today in the Word is a production of Moody Global Ministries
