A Prayer To Confidently Trust In God's Unbreakable Promises

 Today President-elect Joe Biden becomes President Joe Biden.  He will put his hand on a Bible held by his wife Jill and he will promise:  "I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."

This is a very significant moment for an individual and for a country.  It’s also why, even though very late in his mandate president Trump was impeached because of his actions to incite a group of people to go against the law.

God’s word talks about promises and contrasts promises made by individuals with promises made by God.  Listen to these words:

When people make promises, they guarantee them by appeal to some authority above them so that if there is any question that they’ll make good on the promise, the authority will back them up. When God wanted to guarantee his promises, he gave his word, a rock-solid guarantee—God can’t break his word. And because his word cannot change, the promise is likewise unchangeable. We who have run for our very lives to God have every reason to grab the promised hope with both hands and never let go.  Hebrews 6:16-18

Two people committing themselves to one another in marriage and a lifetime of fidelity to each other do so in front of witnesses who guarantee they will do all they can to support the couple to make good on their promises to each other.  They give witness to the solemnity of the vows and signatures on government documents back this up.  They can’t force the couple to keep those promises but they provide an encouraging presence.

When someone dies, an executor is put in charge of the person’s affairs and they are committed to following through the way the individual set out their affairs in their will - promises of property or protection made to children and grandchildren.  It’s a very important responsibility to carry through – it doesn’t require the resources of the executor but faithful adherence to the promises.

And then I think about the guarantor of a promise made when people of limited means want to buy a car or a house. They need a guarantor who promises to make good on their commitment to repay a loan.  Should the individual default, the guarantor is responsible to see that the financial commitment is met.  Now that’s carry-through at personal cost.

We all aspire to be honourable people who are faithful to keep promises we make and yet in so many ways, we fall short.  God, on the other hand makes unchangeable promises and backs them up with His own character.  God can’t break his word to us.  It’s in this wonderful reality that we can have hope and security.  I like the way the verses remind us: 

We who have run for our very lives to God have every reason to grab the promised hope with both hands and never let go.  Hebrews 6:18

Loving God, it’s so true.  On our own we don’t have the resources to keep promises made.  We may have the best of intentions but circumstances can come that overwhelm us and our own character defects can trip us up.  We’re so grateful that we can run to You today, grab hold of Your promises with both hands and find a sure and certain place to stand.

We do pray for the new president today and ask that You will guide and empower Him to make wise decisions that honour You and show care for the people.  We pray that His heart will be open to the leading of Your Holy Spirit and decisions made will reflect Your ways more than any particular political agenda.  It’s a big ask and seems pretty impossible in some ways, but we dare to ask, anyway. 

But above and beyond the political decisions of any president, prime minister or other political figure, we want to reaffirm that we are throwing in our lot with You and the promises You make to us.  We are so grateful that Your promises are rock solid and something we truly can hold onto with both hands knowing that we will be completely safe and provided for as we do.  We are grateful that You don’t change Your mind from one day to the next or even one generation to the next.  When you give Your word, its unchangeable.

So, today we give thanks for this kind of certainty in an uncertain world and this kind of unbreakable strength in the face of fallible human beings – no matter how sincere their promises in a moment. 

His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.  2 Peter 1:3-4