Angi Aymond

I grew up singing the old hymn Standing On The Promises with its near-marching meter.

In fact, if I still myself long enough, I can hear my grandmother and her fellow altos singing that fun part of the chorus, beneath the stretched staaand – ing of the sopranos.

Anyone else?

It’s funny. I can still recall the first and last stanzas by memory, though the middle ones are a bit fuzzy.

I suppose it came to my mind recently because I’ve been seeing lots of memes of late, referring to God’s promises. Promises that have been tweaked to make us feel better.  But untrue just the same.

A few years ago I coined a phrase Hobby Lobby Theology. (I’m sure if my posts were read far and wide I’d receive a cease and desist letter from corporate attorneys.)

Hobby Lobby Theology* : taking verses of the Bible out of context and slapping them on pretty things. Shirts. Coffee cups. Home decor.

(* this isn’t a legal term, nor do I have knowledge of the actual theology of the owners of Hobby Lobby.)

Let’s all do ourselves a favor and look up those referenced verses and take them in full context.

So, back to the promises.

Too often we open up the Bible (I have been fearfully guilty), or worse, see a poorly worded, inaccurate meme that hits us in our feels, and we claim it for ourselves. Demand it. Wait for it.  Then when God doesn’t respond as we’d hoped, we become frustrated. Angry at Him.

If we are going to claim God’s promises..

If we are going to stand on His promises …

We should be well acquainted with those promises and for whom they were intended.

Some of God’s promises were unconditional, though many are conditional: if you obey me; if you ask.

And if we are going to claim these, we’d better be prepared to walk in obedience to which He calls us.

The book of Proverbs? Principles, not promises.  Principles, when applied, often give you the results You were hoping for. But they guarantee nothing.

Take this one, “Train up a child in the way they should go,  and when they are old they will not depart from it.” Oh how I wish it was a promise, but it’s not. There’s wisdom in it, and we’d be wise to heed the advice. But it doesn’t come with a promise.

Some of God’s promises were to a specific group of people, not  necessarily transferrable to us today.

Some promises were for specific individuals. Again, promises made and kept. Not intended for us specifically.

God’s promises of the Old Testament have been fulfilled. In Christ. Available every day to those who have trusted Him for their salvation.

We’re still waiting for others to come to fruition

So, if we’re going to stand on God’s promises, it’s important to know what He has promised us and what He hasn’t.

The following is an unexhausted list of some of God’s unambigous promises that you can cling to with certainty. For yourself. For all time.