SYW Day 3: Promise Keeper

Reading: Psalm 145

Psalm 145:13b-16

13b The Lord is trustworthy in all he promises
and faithful in all he does.
14 The Lord upholds all who fall
and lifts up all who are bowed down.
15 The eyes of all look to you,
and you give them their food at the proper time.
16 You open your hand
and satisfy the desires of every living thing.

Devotional

Our Liberian friends have a “call and answer” saying that they use multiple times a day. One person will say: “God is good.” And another will answer: “All the time.” Often, they’ll end by saying together: “All the time, God is good.” They say this when the weather is beautiful and it’s going to be a gorgeous day. On those days, it’s a reminder that every good thing comes from His hand. But they’ll also use this saying when something terrible happens. At these times, it’s a reminder that no matter what, God is a promise keeper. He says He’s good, and so He is. Period.

Several years ago a team was on their way to Liberia for a long-anticipated visit to the churches and to do some pastoral training. They had put much time, prayer, and preparation into the trip, and they were so excited to accomplish all the things they planned to do. Unfortunately, when they arrived in Chicago, they discovered that something was wrong with their plane—and they were going to have to wait several hours before take-off. Instead of moping about it, they took a train downtown and watched a Chicago Cubs game at Wrigley Field. It was a warm, summer day, and as they ate hot dogs and enjoyed a baseball game, they were grateful for God’s unexpected provision.

However, when they got back to the airport (in plenty of time for their flight), more bad news awaited them. The plane was not yet ready to fly, and because of the delay, they would miss all of their connecting flights. No matter how hard they tried, they could not get the itinerary to work. There was nothing they could do but cancel the trip and come home. The team (and everyone who was praying for them!) was devastated. But when they called Emmanuel to tell him the bad news, he surprised them by saying: “Praise the Lord!” He went on to explain: “We don’t know why God allowed this to happen, but we believe it is for your good. Perhaps He saved you from a terrible accident or injury. Maybe He needed your witness at that baseball game today. Whatever the reason, He was in it. God is good, all the time.”

Further Thought

Do you believe that God always keeps his promises? That: God is good, all the time even when our circumstances don’t seem good? We may not always understand how He works, but we know that He keeps His promises, and nudges us toward trust and faith—no matter the circumstance.