The Gift of Promise

I had an amazing experience a week ago tonight. I asked God for something special. Actually, I hadn't dared to ask, but I had expressed the desire for something specific to others not Him, and like any good parent, my Father made Himself aware of what would mean a lot to me, and He gave it to me just because He loves me.

I asked for it in a wistful way. I never expected to get it, I had asked and hoped before and been told "no," not directly, but by the fact when I asked, it didn't come. This time, I didn't ask, but God gave it to me, and in a very specific way that I wanted it to come. It was amazing. And I'm sorry I am being so coy, but it's something I can't even bring myself to fully share, but suffice it to say, it was just what I was seeking and He gave it to me in the exact way I'd hoped for, and I have been holding to it ever since.

What I will tell you is it wasn't tangible. It wasn't even like a completed answer to prayer. It was more like a promise, and me and God (God and I?) we have this thing about promises. It's like His love language to me. He gives me something to hold onto, and it makes waiting easier, and it builds my faith stronger in the process. God has made many specific promises to me, and His timing hasn't always been what I would have liked, but I have always gotten just as much, if not more, out of the promise as I did out of the answer to the prayer.

The Lord has proven Himself to be the Promise Keeper to me. In fact if you ever drive up behind a mini van with the license plate frame that says "God Always Keeps His Promises - Jacob, Ethan & Victoria" give a little honk and a wave and I promise to wave back.

Two of my favorite scriptures are about God's promises:

God is not a man, that he should lie,
nor a son of man, that he should change his mind.
Does he speak and then not act?
Does he promise and not fulfill?
I have received a command to bless;
he has blessed, and I cannot change it.
Numbers 23:19-20

for God's gifts and his call are irrevocable.
Romans 11:29

The reference for latter scripture is even engraved on the pen we used to sign Ethan's adoption papers. That was the end of a season where God truly showed Himself to be the Promise Keeper. I have had a lot of promises broken to me in my lifetime, but never once by the Lord.

So I am excited, because I feel like I have something to hold onto again. It's not as specific as other promises in the past, but it is something to hold onto, and I am excited for the revelation that lies ahead.

To be honest, I don't really know much of anything about the gift, even though I asked for it, but I do know the Giver. I do know His character and His love. I do know Him. And I do know that the value of the gift comes Who has given it.

I serve such an amazing God. The Shepherd who loves His sheep. My God is not just a promise keeper, He is The Promise Keeper. And I am eagerly looking forward to watching the promise He has given me unfold.

By the way, my last post didn't seem to get much notice, but I really felt like it was an encouragement meant to be shared, so if you have a few more minutes, click here and check it out. Blessings!