The other day as I was taking a walk, I was listening to the Psalms and the verse Psalm 29:4 played,
“I will establish your descendants as kings forever; they will sit on Your throne from now until eternity.”
I felt a gentle stirring. This was a promise to David, he trusted and expected his family to rule forever and yet things didn't seem to go the way he was expected. When the Babylonian exile happened, the people of God must have questioned, "Why would God say that and allow this to happen? How will the promise ever be fulfilled now?"
Then more of these scenarios came to mind. Jacob and his family moved to Egypt to escape famine, as the generations passed, they became the slaves of Egypt. How will they become the great nation that God has promised? Had God forgotten?
The disciples looked on as their leader, who was supposed to save them, died right in front of them. What was God doing? How can He promise to save us and then... not?
Here in the future, we see the way each of these promises was fulfilled. Some took hundreds of years, one only 3 days, but God always kept His promise. He did not do exactly as people expected, but He did keep His promises. There are so many other scenarios throughout the Bible that show this over and over.
The promises that God has made to me, and to you, may not end up looking the way we expect. They may not be answered in the timing that we expect, but promises are still promises. God does not forget them. Keep trusting, keep working, and keep praying.
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. - Romans 15:13