The Sunday Sermonette – Promises Broken?

Trains, planes, airships, ocean liners, fast cars—the 1930s had them all, along with major players on the world stage. Mussolini promised to make the Italian trains run on time. In the depths of the Great Depression, President Franklin Roosevelt promised a “New Deal” for all Americans. Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain promised “Peace for our time” in an attempt to avert war. And Adolph Hitler promised the German Volk that only he could save them from the failing Weimar Republic and the hated Treaty of Versailles.

History, though, has a way of exposing promises kept and those not. Italian trains running on time was more Mussolini propaganda than truth. FDR’s “New Deal,” although a noble aspiration, was unable to return the American economy to the heady days of the 1920s. Chamberlain’s “Peace for our time” was shattered when, in 1939, the Nazis marched into Poland. And Hitler’s promise of salvation was smothered in the smoke of his burning body and that of gutted Germany itself. People in the 1930s learned the hard way that promises made are often broken.

Like people of yesteryear, we, too, experience the sting of broken promises. Whether it is a friend who swore to keep a secret, or a marriage where “To death do us part “meant nothing, or an employer who promised a job but failed to deliver, examples of broken promises surround us in everyday life. Like an open sore, they can fester, leading to emotional distress and feelings of betrayal and disappointment. Whatever the situation, ultimately, a broken promise creates a rabbit hole where doubt and skepticism thrive. Still, in our vicious world of broken promises, there are unbroken promises that have existed since the beginning of time itself.

The Good Book is a testament to the reliability of the promises of Father God and Jesus. Unlike mortal beings, they never falter in keeping their word. In our world filled with shifting loyalties, deceit, disease, and death, their promises stand as a beacon of hope, strength, and assurance for their believers. This unwavering reliability instills trust and confidence in their followers, guiding them through life’s trials.

In Isaiah 41:10, God promises us His constant presence. “Fear thou not; for I am with thee, be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.”

God also encourages believers to rely on His promise of strength during weary times. Isaiah 40:31 states, “But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”

In Matthew 11:25, Jesus promised his followers a respite from the world’s difficulties. He invites those who are burdened to come to Him: “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

One of God’s most significant promises is found in Romans 8:38-39. It emphasizes that nothing can separate us from His love and the love of Jesus: “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come. Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

The Bible affirms that Father God and Jesus are promise keepers. Their kept promises form the bedrock of our faith, offering encouragement and reassurance to believers. They remind us of their faithfulness and their desire to support and guide us through life’s challenges, reinforcing our trust in their promises.

Ponder this and go forth.