Dear Veritas,

What promises are you holding on to? Are you holding on to “promises” of the world that may provide short-term pleasure and satisfaction at best, only to leave you disappointed and longing for more, or are you holding on to the promises of God?

I recently read through the book of Joshua. Throughout the book, we see Joshua leading the Israelites (God’s people) as they cross the Jordan River and enter Canaan, the Promised Land. The Lord gives their adversaries over to them, and they expand and divide up the land between the tribes of people. Toward the end of the book of Joshua, the covenant between God and his people is renewed. Obviously there is way more detail than the previous three sentences reveal, but as I read through Joshua, the verse that stuck out to me the most was Joshua 21:45. 

For some context, verses 43 and 44 say, “Thus the Lord gave to Israel all the land that he swore to give their fathers. And they took possession of it, and they settled there. And the Lord gave them rest on every side just as he had sworn to their fathers. Not one of all their enemies had withstood them, for the Lord had given all their enemies into their hands.”

Joshua 21:45 then says, “Not one word of all the good promises that the Lord had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass.”

Every word of all of God’s promises came true. What exactly happened? In Genesis 12:1-3 we see God promising Abram (soon to be Abraham) land, descendants, and blessing (both for him and ultimately the world). Then, over the next 700-ish years, God adopts a nation for himself, provides for them, leads them out of Egypt via plagues and the parting of the Red Sea, gives them the law and his presence, provides for them in the wilderness, and takes them to the Promised Land. And throughout that time, every word of all of God’s promises came to be.

Veritas, I love our church—I love seeing people hungry for God’s Word, maturing in their faith, being devoted, living in community with each other, encouraging one another and having hard conversations when needed, etc. There is a lot to celebrate! With that said, I am also concerned that many of our people are buying into the promises of the world more than the promises of God.

Making a name for yourself isn’t what life is all about. That man or woman won’t complete you and make you happy forever. A fully funded retirement account won’t make you feel completely secure. Striving to raise your children to be “good kids” is not the chief goal of parenting. The approval of others is not what matters most. ________ will not actually make you happy and give you a sense of worth. We could go on and on and on…

The Bible is full of God’s promises, and just like every word of all of God’s promises came true as the Israelites settled into the Promised Land thousands of years ago, God’s promises throughout scripture have and will come true—every word! Unlike the promises of the world, the Word of God and his promises provide something to truly cling to and base our life upon.

So, I’m going to give you a little bit of homework. First, evaluate the “promises” that you are holding on to. Second, as you read your Bible, make note of the promises of God and cling to those. Unlike the promises of the world, every word and promise that comes from God will prove to be true. Veritas, let's be people who cling to the promises of God.