Christian Living

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Givers and Keepers

“I promise to pay the bearer on demand the sum of….” So reads the promise of the Bank of England on the English currency.
It is a promise that is borne out every time someone exchanges money for goods. Of course only the Bank could make a promise like that because it is invested with the authority to do so. Any promise is only as valid the Giver of the promise. The Giver becomes the Keeper when we appropriate a promise. So too with the promises of God.
It is interesting in the first place that He is a God who makes promises. Thousands of them. Mostly to His people. It identifies Him as a person who is committed to His Word and to his people. Indeed the promises of God have been the food for the soul of the church since its inception. “My meat is to do my Father’s will,” said Jesus.
The very thought of His promises fills us with comfort and hope. “I am with you always”. “I will give you rest.” “I will go and prepare a place for you.” “I will send you the Comforter.”
In the Old Testament the Lord often did things with the end in view that “I will be their God, and they will be my people.” He wanted to the foreign nations to know this too. “Then they will know that I am the God of Israel.”
There are two things here – identity and integrity. We can trust God because of who He is. If someone were to tell me that they could build a city in seven days, I would not only doubt their word, I would write it off as an impossibility. If the Lord told me that “Nothing is too hard for me”, I would take courage.
Our Universe is sustained by the power of the Word. Knowing Him gives me confidence in His ability. My assurance is based on His identity and this gives me the faith to say, “Hey! I am supported and sustained by none other than the Lord God Almighty. I will trust Him!”
His identity inspires my faith but His integrity is the bedrock of His promise. One man who knew this was the Psalmist. In Psalm 62 he writes, “My soul finds rest in God alone. Pour out your heart to Him.”
Our experiences with people are often marred by broken confidences and shattered promises. Some people turn to the companionship of pet animals to replace human contact and avoid further hurt. We fear even “pouring out our hearts” to God, in case He should judge us.
If this is our story we need to risk asking the Father to perform some “open heart” surgery. He needs to heal our hurt so that we can relate to Him in a loving relationship and begin to accept love again.
To imitate God is to love His identity and reflect His integrity. “I promise to pay the bearer on demand the sum of my integrity” will become a present reality as we commit ourselves to becoming more like Him. We will become Givers and Keepers.

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