Partnering with God: Our Role in Receiving His Promises
In my last post, we talked about how sweet the promises of God can taste. Like scraps of sugar cookie dough, we can delight in the promises just as much as the fulfillment. We also talked about the importance of naming our desires and how a hope fulfilled is good for the bones.
When talking about the promises of God, I mentioned how in three different places, the Holy Spirit showed me the same message: God can be trusted to keep His promises, so rejoice like they are already on their way. (Because they are!)
A Key to Receiving God’s Promises
One of those messages was in this sermon about Simeon, where Pastor Alexander pointed out how Simeon was prompted by Holy Spirit to go to the Temple where he met the promised Savior, Jesus. How he had to take obedient steps and follow the Lord to partner in receiving this promise.
Something Mark Alexander said about this that really got me was this:
"What if God promised you something and years later, He led you to a prompting and you didn't obey? Is that a promise not kept or a gift not opened?"
Sometimes, our obedience to the leading, nudges and promptings of the Holy Spirit is like the key that opens the gift box. I think of the Israelites in the desert headed to the promised land. They still received the promise, but it was delayed because they didn’t obey the promptings of the Lord.
Possible Reasons We Don’t Obey God’s Promptings
I wonder if we don’t do what we’re prompted to do because we think we need to do it alone? God, mighty on the throne, has made Himself gentle and lowly, to be our Helper. Our Every Present Help in Time of Need. If He asks you to do something, don’t be tricked into thinking He’s asking you to do it on your own. Ask Him to help you. He loves to give good gifts to His children.
I also wonder if we don’t obey because we decide it just doesn’t make sense or doesn’t really matter. This video is so relatable and made me chuckle. This is exactly how it feels sometimes…
Partnering with God when it doesn’t make sense
We simply cannot always understand all the why’s behind what God calls us to do. Our job is to obey. His job is to bless it and make it fruitful.
Seems to me that we can’t partner with God when we aren’t doing our part.
Things to ponder.
What if receiving the fulfillment of the promise requires you to do that one that that God’s been asking you to do lately?
How to Partner with God’s Promises
- Pray the promises! Pray the prophecies! My mentors instructed me long ago to not just tuck those things in your back hip pocket and forget about them. Don’t let them just sit on the shelf. Pray them through to their fulfillment.
- Trust God’s promises! Believe God for His Word and let the promises strengthen you. Remind yourself of what He has promised you and feel free to remind Him of His promises in prayer too.
- Praise God for the promises! Praise Him like Hannah did because when he promises something, it’s as good as done! Don’t wait until the promise is here to praise Him for it!
- Remember the promises He has already fulfilled! Like David did, this is a powerful way to encourage yourself in the Lord while you are waiting in this season.
- Obey His lead, whether it makes sense to you or not and whether you feel scared or not. Like Simeon, when the Spirit leads you… follow! He always rewards those who follow Him.
A Prayer to Pray When You Can’t Find the Words:
Father, thank you for your promises. I trust you to fulfill your promises to me.
And I confess I’ve been trying (and pretty much failing) at trying to obey your promptings on my own strength. Forgive me for doing it on my own.
Please help me obey. Strengthen me to do what you’ve called me to do. I love you Lord. I give you my heart and my future.
In Jesus’ name, amen
Pin it to remember!
YOUR TURN:
What are the promises of God that you are holding on to lately?
Have you felt a prompting from the Lord to do something lately? What’s an action step you need to take to obey that prompting? Tell us in the comments below, and let’s pray for each other to follow those promptings.
Until next time…
May Peace Himself hold you close & hold you together.
Toodles!
