Have you ever gone on a treasure hunt? A friend of mine once sent a girl he liked on a birthday treasure hunt. She moved from one clue to the next—canteen, notes, small gifts—until she finally reached the main gift. What kept her going? Not just curiosity, but the promise of what lay ahead. In many ways, the Bible reads like that. From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible is a story of God’s promises and their fulfilment. A promised offspring. Promised land.The promised king. Ultimately, the promised Saviour.
Our experience of promises in our day-to-day life is often far from inspiring.
But, if we’re honest, our experience of life and people usually shape our experience of God. And unfortunately, our experience of promises in our day-to-day life is often far from inspiring. We’ve all felt the sting of words not kept—sometimes even those closest to us. And when life unravels—through loss, disappointment, or suffering—the questions become unavoidable: can I trust in God’s promises? Do I? Can he really be trusted?
God Is Not Like Us!
“God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfil it?” (Numbers 23:19). Passages like this one along with countless others confront our doubts directly. Unlike us, God’s reputation is bound to his word. If he speaks, he must act. If he promises, he will fulfil.
Yet, when suffering comes we find ourselves wondering:
- Where is God?
- Does he see?
- Does he still care?
These aren’t new questions. They are as old as the fall itself. But the Bible doesn’t ignore them—it answers them by pointing us back to God’s promises.
All God’s Promises Are in Christ
Paul makes a striking claim: all God’s promises find their Yes in Christ (2 Corinthians 1:20).
This means at least two things:
- God’s promises are not scattered or uncertain; they are anchored in a person—Jesus Christ
- These promises aren’t automatically ours by default; they are ours in him.
God’s promises are not vague comforts floating in the air. They are secured in a relationship.
The Bible makes it clear: to belong to Christ is to become an heir of promise (Galatians 3:29). What was once limited now becomes ours through redemption and faith. This is why suffering often exposes not just our pain, but our position. Are we trusting in God generally, or are we trusting in Christ specifically? Because the promises of God are not vague comforts floating in the air. They are secured in a relationship.
We Access God’s Promises by Faith
Abraham stands as the great example (Hebrews 11:8-12, 17-19). He believed God when it seemed impossible. He trusted when his body was as good as dead. Abraham even trusted God when asked to offer up the very son through whom the promise was meant to come.
Why?
Faith isn’t a denial of reality. It is confidence in God’s character despite our reality.
Because he believed that God could do the impossible—even raise the dead. Faith, then, is not a denial of reality. It is confidence in God’s character despite our reality. And that’s where many of us struggle. We want visible assurance before we trust. But Scripture calls us to trust before we see.
The “Yes” and “Amen” of God
We often say God answers prayers in three ways:
- Yes
- No
- Wait.
The cross settles the question of God’s faithfulness once and for all.
But in Christ, something deeper is happening. Jesus Himself is the Amen—the final, decisive confirmation of God’s promises (Revelation 3:14). He is both the message and the guarantee. God’s Word made flesh (John 1:1), the promise that all can see. This means that even when circumstances seem to contradict God’s promises, Christ stands as the unshakable proof that God hasn’t failed. The cross settles the question of God’s faithfulness once and for all.
When Life Doesn’t Make Sense
So what do we do when life feels like it’s falling apart? When prayers seem unanswered, when loss is real, when the weight of suffering presses in? Two things must anchor us.
1. Our Perspective Is Limited
We do not see the full picture. What feels like chaos to us may be part of a larger story of God’s glory. In John 9, a man’s lifelong blindness was not meaningless—it was an opportunity for God’s works to be displayed. In John 11, Lazarus’s death was not the end—it was for the glory of God.
2. God’s Glory Is Ultimate
Our lives are part of something bigger than immediate relief.
Secondly, God’s promises are not ultimately about our comfort, but about his glory. Even in Israel’s suffering, God declared that he would act “so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth” (Exodus 9:16). This doesn’t trivialise our pain—it situates it. It reminds us that our lives are part of something bigger than immediate relief.
The Trustworthy Word in a Broken World
We live in a world that is deeply broken. Sin has fractured creation, and its effects are everywhere—disease, disaster, injustice, death. But God hasn’t abandoned his world. He hasn’t abandoned us. If anything, the Bible suggests that things could be far worse were it not for his sustaining mercy. Even in judgment, there is restraint. Even in suffering, there is mercy.
A Greater Crisis
There is, however, a deeper reality we cannot ignore. The greatest devastation is not what happens around us—but what happens within us. Jesus warns that storms will come to every life. The difference is not whether we face them, but what we are built on:
- The wise build on the rock
- The foolish build on sand
When the floods rise—and they will—only one foundation stands. That foundation is Christ.
What Now?
In suffering, in waiting, in confusion—what do we do? We:
- Trust God in the dark
- Cling to his word
- Remember his faithfulness
- Anchor ourselves in Christ.
Because the truth remains; the promise still stands. Not because life is easy or our circumstances make sense but because God is faithful. Finally, to those who feel overwhelmed, weary, and broken: God sees you. He hears you. God hasn’t failed you. And in Christ he never will. So hold fast. Even here. Even now. The promise still stands.
DON’T HAVE PAYPAL TO SET UP A MONTHLY DONATION? If you would like to donate via Payfast – a secure payment gateway available to donors both inside and outside of Africa – please click here.
