standing on the promises of God

When I graduated from Franklin High School in 1982, one of my friends gave me a little book titled "The Jesus Person Pocket Promise Book: 800 Promises from the Word of God." The book was divided into three sections - God's Promises for Your Spiritual Needs, God's Promises for Your Personal Needs, and God's Promises for Your Future Needs. In each section, verses of Scripture were grouped under various statements or questions. For instance, under the question, "Do you need wisdom?" twenty verses were listed, including this key verse: "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all men generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him" (James 1:5 NASB).

I referred to my Pocket Promise Book frequently during my college days and found it to be very helpful in pointing me to passages of Scripture that applied to whatever situtation I was dealing with at the moment. But today when I pulled the book off my shelf for the first time in years, I was a bit startled as I reread David Wilkerson's introduction, since he was undeniably promoting a "name it and claim it" theology. "Carry this book with you at all times," Wilkerson advised. "Think of it as a Bible promise dictionary and refer to it for answers to all your questions and needs."

I love God's Word, but as I study and meditate on the holy Scriptures, I still have questions. Lots of questions. But I have come to embrace the mystery of God, and I don't expect to figure out everything during my limited time here on earth. But I do look forward to the day when all things will be made clear. As the Apostle Paul observed, "Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known" (1 Corinthians 13:12). So for now, I will continue to stand firmly on God's promises, grateful for the salvation He has offered me through Jesus Christ, and trusting that Jesus is interceding for me and my family at the right hand of God (Romans 8:34).

"We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure" (Hebrews 6:19a).