Promises

/ Gail Johnson

For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven. Psalm 119:89 (KJV)

Standing on the Promises

Verse One: Standing on the promises of Christ my King, Thro’ eternal ages let his praises ring; Glory in the highest I will shout and sing, Standing on the promises of God.

I will sing of the mercies of the LORD for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations. Psalm 89:1 (KJV)

Chorus: Standing, standing, Standing on the promises of Christ my Saviour; Standing, standing, I’m standing on the promises of God.

Verse Two: Standing on the promises that cannot fail, When the howling storms of doubt and fear assail, By the living Word of God I shall prevail, Standing on the promises of God.

And they shall fight against thee; but they shall not prevail against thee; for I am with thee, saith the LORD, to deliver thee. Jeremiah 1:19 (KJV)

Verse Three: Standing on the promises I now can see Perfect, present cleansing in the blood for me; Standing in the liberty where Christ makes free, I’m standing on the promises of God.

If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. John 8:36 (KJV)

Verse Four: Standing on the promises of Christ the Lord, Bound to Him eternally by love’s strong cord, Overcoming daily with the Spirit’s sword, Standing on the promises of God.

Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. Roman 8:37 (KJV)

Verse Five: Standing on the promises I cannot fall, List’ning ev’ry moment to the Spirit’s call, Resting in my Saviour, as my all in all, Standing on the promises of God.

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. Matthew 11:28-30 (KJV)

Standing on the Promises by Russell Kelso Carter Public Domain

Howling Storms

When I took a break from blogging, I had big plans to finish several projects. What I didn’t plan was a summer of storms that left me spiritually, mentally, and physically exhausted.

In the middle of howling winds were ongoing outside problems, a bruised rib, and a suspicious mole at the base of my neck. I made an appointment to have the mole removed, knowing what they’d say. “Let’s take a sample and go from there.”

Later that week, I talked silently with the Lord about my appointment. “I wished the thing would fall off so I didn’t have to deal with any of this.”

Honestly, I’d had it up to my back teeth. (Ever been there?) I’d lost my patience and was mentally on the floor whining in defeat over the outside problems.

Now, this firstborn tomboy learned a long time ago whining doesn’t get you anywhere. Especially when it comes to spiritual warfare. So I trudged on oblivious to the real problem.

Stand on Your Feet

When I thought about posting an article, I opted for an inspirational meme because I had no words. Although I was doing the right things, I felt like a hypocrite. Who was I to encourage another when I was in a mess? But I knew I had to upload that poster!

The morning the Rejoice post went live, Patricia Bettis commented. “Rejoice, Gail! Beautiful flowers!” (Thank you, Patricia.)

When I read it, I read it as a command. Not from Patricia, but from our Commander. Something suddenly shifted in me, and I realized I had lost the zeal to fight. Although I quoted scripture and sang hymns, I was on my face, not my feet.

“The psalms, and hymns, and songs were to be sung so that the heart should be engaged, and not so as to be mere music, or a mere external performance.” Albert Barnes

Fact: Without the heart’s engagement, our spirits grow weary of battle.  

Once my heart re-engaged, my strength and joy returned. And guess what? The mole fell off a few days later. The area is smooth and clear as a baby’s complexion. Praise the Lord!

The other problems are in the Lord’s hands, and I’m standing on his promises.

So, my friend, if you have problems that only the Lord can solve, if you have more than you can bear, let me encourage you to stand on His promises and sing your heart out!

Photo courtesy of Pat_Photographies on Pixabay

12 thoughts on “Promises”

  1. Thank you for sharing your honest story about navigating the tough times of life. It is amazing how a kind word from another believer can be a fresh breath from God. Lord, help us keep our hearts engaged as we live for you!

    • Melissa, thank you for your comment. I’ve questioned if I should have been so honest since posting that article. But if we don’t share the struggles, we share a warped view of this journey. That’s not to say it’s easy to share the hard times. But we must, so that our storms open the way for others. At least, that is what I have to tell myself. Something I didn’t share in the post was that I nursed one of our furbabies for several weeks until he died of cancer. The memories, pain, and heartache of caring and watching my brother die of prostate cancer came roaring back. In a sense, I had to disengage to make it through. But I forgot to re-engage, and that was my mistake. I’m so thankful the Lord doesn’t leave us in our pain. Again, thank you. I can rest now, knowing I did the right thing. Blessing, sweet sister.

  2. What a wonderful, encouraging post! (Good idea with the hymn and scriptures.)

    “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

    • One of my favorite scriptures! How can we comfort unless we have been comforted. Our struggles produce patience AND compassion. Thank you for reminding me of that truth and your words of encouragement. 🤎

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