In Genesis 15 we have a marvelous
scene of grace where God speaks with Abraham.
Abraham has concerns. God doesn’t
chide his concerns. God gives Him more
promises and clearer promises. The
Mighty God of the universe even makes an everlasting covenant with this man who
has worries and openly discusses them with Him.
That is grace. The upshot was
that Abraham “believed in the Lord and it was accounted to him for
righteousness.” As Paul would say later
in Romans 4, Abraham was saved by faith.
Now Abraham took that faith and with it stood firmly on the promises of
God.
R. Kelso Carter wrote the uplifting
hymn “Standing on the Promises”. God’s
promise to Abraham was an everlasting covenant.
That covenant pointed to and included our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He is the fulfillment of God’s promise that
the promised Seed would come and bring hope and righteousness to mankind. Abraham and his true descendants stood firmly
on the sure hope of those promises of the sure and certain God. Christ came into this world and those of the
faith of Abraham embraced their long awaited Savior. They had waited 2000 years for the promise to
be fulfilled.
During those millennia there had
been many difficult days. There had been
slavery in Egypt and abuse by neighboring nations. There had been discipline by their Holy God
who was seeking to bring many sons to glory.
There was exile and deprivation.
In it all there were the sure and precious promises of God. We have waited 2000 years since the Ascension
of Christ for His promised return. There
has been persecution, war, famine, terrors by day and by night for His precious
bride the Church. But His promises are
still true. His coming is still
certain. We can, with Abraham, stand on
the promises.
R. Kelso Carter says in his second
stanza, “Standing on the promises that cannot fail, when the howling storms of
doubt and fear assail. By the living
Word of God I shall prevail, standing on the promises of God.” Abraham didn’t see all the promises that God
made to him be fulfilled in his lifetime.
Still he pressed on in faith as should we. We can sing together with Abraham the chorus
of this great hymn, “Standing, standing, standing on the promises of God my
Savior; standing, standing, I’m standing on the promises of God.” By His abundant grace we stand on these
promises.
You
may also enjoy this inspirational devotional book, The Gospel According to Molly,
available
here:
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