I’m running back to your promises one more time
Lord that’s all I can hold on to…
I know You have Your reasons for everything
So I will keep believing
Whatever I might be feeling, God, You are my hope
And You will be my strength,
- Kerrie Roberts, No Matter What from her self-tiled 2010 album
For me, temptation burns at the wrong time like a fire on a scorching summer day. And yet, I’m drawn to the flames. It is often the combination of a real need and a possible doubt that creates an inappropriate desire. That doubt arises in God keeping His promises to me, especially when it comes to providing me with what I need to live. Come time to pay the monthly bills, I tend to panic a bit because my bank account is so low most of the time. And don’t even get me started on the future. I have a small IRA but nowhere near enough to retire on. At this point, even if I find a job tomorrow, I’m going to need to work until I’m well past 80.
Sometimes it takes all I am to remember in the Old Testament God is described by Moses as Jehovah Jirah – the provider. The Israelites wandered for 40 years and every morning God provided manna. Once a week He provided quail. He became a pillar of smoke to guide them during the day, and a pillar of fire to guide them at night. He didn’t just abandon them in the wilderness. He gave them the Law and a leader to implement it. And more. Then, when the old generation had died off, He provided the new generation children with the Promised Land. If God can do all of that for His people then, why do I have so much trouble remembering it now?
What do you struggle with? Temptation tends to focus on three primary areas: physical needs and desires, pride, and possessions and power. Or the physical, emotional, and psychological. The three components that make up all people. So basically, none of us are immune to temptation. We all have to face the fire in one form or another. What promises of God do you have to keep running back to? I tell you, it’s hard to run to promises you know nothing about, which is why immersing oneself in the Word is so important. But it’s more than that. It’s looking back on our life also to see how the Hand of God has worked things out for us. And most of all, it involves trust, that He’ll deliver us once again even when there seems to be no way. After all, He promised never to leave us or forsake us (Matthew 28:20/Hebrews 13:5). And that’s a promise worth holding onto, no matter what.
The Winding Road 