Promises, the Seed

UV 1775/10000 The Promises, the Seed of God
Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
2 Peter 1 v 4

The promises of the Lord are exceeding the concept of greatness that we humans are capable of understanding. From the human perspective, it is meant for the need of each believer. From God’s perspective, it is seed of heaven. Each of the nearly ten thousand promises in the Word are the reward of our covenant or personal relationship with the Lord. These give us access to untold blessings that are beyond human perception, understanding or imagination. These are the resources by which we can share in godliness in character, in power and in grace. This uni-verse holds the insight that the promises are intended not just to meet our need or grant our desires but to be the seed of godly nature being planted in us. We develop the patience of Jesus on account of our faith in the promises. We develop the wisdom greater than that of Solomon as it is “exceeding” human expectation or classification. We grow in understanding of the deeper purposes of the Lord in all that happens to us and around us. These are the means by which we can overcome or escape the lusts of the flesh. The promises of the Lord keep us from compromise with the world. It gives us everlasting victory over the pulls and pressures of this fallen world. They give us hope and nourish our faith. Every conceivable human situation is met in the promises of the Lord.

The promises of the Lord cover every aspect of human life. They enable us to meet our every need- be it spiritual, intellectual, social, familial, financial, physical or emotional. The promises are concise and precise so that we can easily recall them in our hour of need. The promises are valuable or precious, more precious than anything that money can buy or power can procure. They are necessary for a victorious life of faith. The value of the promises can be assessed in that we obtained the right and privilege of inheriting these promises only as the Lord paid the price in the sacrifice of Jesus. Hence, we should not take it lightly or casually but value every word of every promise of the Lord.

The promises of the Lord are the despair of the wicked but insurance for the righteous by grace- the believers. They are the fount of joy and the source of strength, the cause of much celebration in our lives. They enable us to fulfil the purpose of the Lord for our lives. The promises are fulfilled in due time and due season when the Lord deems it the right time. We need to exercise our faith by holding onto the promises even when nothing seems to be happening. We need to be diligent in studying the promises and in appropriating the blessings it holds for different aspects of our lives. Every promise is a seed to sow God’s nature and the fruit of the Spirit in us. We need to till or plough the topsoil of our minds and create space to receive the promise, water it with our prayers and tears, fence it with our faith, harvest it in due time. Unlike Jack’s magical bean seed, it will not grow into a giant plant overnight. It might take years and sometimes a lifetime and in some cases, we would experience the fulfilment only beyond our lifetime in eternity.

Prateep V Philip