Remembering God's Promises When They Seem Distant

Are you feeling disappointed or frustrated that you haven't seen God's promises come to pass? How do we navigate the life before the fulfillment of God's promise to us?

Today's conversation is a simple and practical one that will help to remember God's faithfulness

Transcript

Hey friends, welcome back to a another episode of The sowhat podcast. My name is Anna McGuire. And I'm so excited to have a conversation with you today about sowing intentionally into our lives so that we can reap abundantly in the days, weeks, months, and even years to come. I want you to pause for just a moment and take inventory of where your heart and your mind is at today. Are you feeling excited? disappointed, frustrated? Happy, sad, angry? How are you feeling about your relationship with God? Are you in a spot are in a place right now where you feel like God is leading the way and that you're comforted by his presence and you know him? And it's like, yeah, me and God, like we're really good and things are thriving and joyful? Or are you in a spot where things feel dry or distant with him? Maybe you're in a spot where you feel like God has spoken some things to you. But the timing, and the follow through from him doesn't feel like it's making sense, or that is happening. According to your timeline. Can I share with you, although I'm taking the time every day to abide in Jesus and spend time in His Word and pray, there are a few things that I am really desperate for the Lord to speak to me about. There are things that I'm hungry to know His will on their promises that He has made that haven't been fulfilled yet. And so my relationship with him doesn't feel distant and I'm not angry at him. I am in a waiting season for some of those promises and his direction. And maybe you find yourself in that place to that as you slow down. Maybe there are some things in your life where you're hungry are desperate for an answer from God. Or maybe there's some things that he has spoken to you in the past, but he hasn't fulfilled yet that he hasn't followed through on. Yet. As I've been reflecting on this, the last couple of days, it's almost been like, the Lord has been reminding me and a win has there been other seasons, where I've fulfilled my promises, and that I was faithful to meet you right where you're at. And a memory came to my mind. From high school, specifically, my junior year of high school. I was at summer camp with my church. And I was wrestling with God about going into full time ministry. You see, I wanted to be a politician or a journalist at the time. And not only did I not want to be a pastor, but I was also concerned about the kind of sacrifices that would need to be made to serve in the capacity of a pastor. I began to ask God, like how will I pay for Bible College? And if I marry a man who is also in ministry, how will we afford to live or raise a family? And I just remember wrestling and questioning and honestly being a little frightened about it. I was like, Oh my gosh, I don't know if I want to do this God, how are we going to be taking care of and I will never forget, the Holy Spirit whispered to me so incredibly gently, Anna, I'm not kidding. I can't make this up. And I will provide for you down to your mascara. I kid you not. That's what he said to me. In that moment of the altar at summer camp, I both laughed and cried with God in that moment. And do you know what?
God was actually he has been and he was super faithful to remind me of that a couple years ago. Yes, God has been so faithful to Andrew and me and to Archie. He's given us an incredible home. He's given us reliable vehicles. There has been amazing places that we've gotten to serve in ministry. We've had just incredible joy and infinitely more experiences and life and I say like capital L life like God, purpose life than we can even begin to explain. And so why do I share all this? Like, yes, we know God is faithful, but God was faithful to remind me specifically about the mascara piece several years ago. It was a Monday and I had told myself that I needed to go buy a new tube of mascara. And now at the time I was in grad school, like budget tight like going to grad school is expensive, not just like the tuition and the book speeds but commuting back and forth from the south side of Indianapolis into downtown Indianapolis. was to go to school. And then on top of that, so gas time, and then I really only could work part time because of how, you know much work and internship and all that stuff. The the master's program required. So budget was tight. And so it was a Monday I told myself, I needed to get a new tube of mascara. And literally within a few moments of thinking that I had gotten an email from Ulta with a birthday reward for a free tube of mascara, IT Cosmetics mascara. So great mascara, by the way that I was going to get a free tube as a part of my birthday reward. And as you can imagine, I was thrilled. I was so excited. I was like, Oh my gosh, what a small world. I just thought to myself, I needed mascara. And now a few minutes later, I get this email that come on in and get your mascara on. So that day, I actually went to altar immediately because that's how badly I needed mascara. I went and picked up my birthday gift. And as I was walking back to my car, I was in the parking lot. The Holy Spirit gently whispered to me again. And remember what I promised you in high school. Gosh, I lost it. And honestly, as I like reflect on it even now, having this conversation with you. It brings tears to my eyes again. He who promised is faithful. He who promised his faithful that little mascara. On that day was God's gentle way to remind me today that he has me in his care that he loves me, and that I can trust him to keep his promises. I know, I know that it can seem in moments that God has forgotten about us. Just forgotten about me. He's forgotten about you. Or he's forgotten about something he has promised to you. But I want to encourage you today to take heart. Hebrews 1023 says, Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we have for God can be trusted to keep his promises. He can be trusted to keep his promises. And as I have been journeying this week through wrestling about Okay, God, I really would love for you to fulfill this promise or bring this answer or bring clarity to this. It's like the Lord has walked me back in time and reminded me you remember that mascara moment? I told you I would take care of you. I told you that I have life and life more abundantly for you. That is a promise. And as you trust me, I will keep doing that. My promises don't just lie in the past. My promises are also in your future. I was like okay, God, does it make the wrestling? Or does it make the wondering instantly easier know? If I'm being honest? No. But I can tell you it has brought me so much comfort and peace remembering how God has been faithful and the past that he has not forgotten what he has promised me that he keeps every single one of his promises big and small, from mascara, and so much more.
If you're in a spot today, where you're wondering God, when are you going to answer when are you going to fulfill when are you going to give clarity, or the next steps. My encouragement for sowing intentionally today is to remember other seasons where he has been faithful before. Maybe it was a bill that was due for you. And you didn't know how it's gonna get paid. But the Lord was faithful to see you through on that. Maybe it was a sickness you or somebody you love was battling or going through and you saw God move in a divine way. Maybe it was a relationship that you've had that was fractured and God has redeemed and restored that friendship. How has God been faithful to you in the past? And that might not change the current feeling or the current frustration or the current like oh, I want to know right now. And I want to see the fulfillment of these promises right now but I can tell you might not change things about not having the answer. Right now, but it will bring comfort and peace, and the motivation to trust God. All the more. As I share this with you today, I'm truly preaching to myself. I am sharing this with me today that I need to remind myself that He who promised is faithful. And it's time to reflect on the things and the areas of my life, that he has been faithful, that he has answered me that he has fulfilled the promises, whether again, it was like mascara, or there were serious things, serious sicknesses that my family members and close friends have faced and that God, he shared with me, he was going to take care of them. And he did. I need to reflect on those things because I'm human, and I can too easily. And so quickly forget just how good and faithful God has been. And if I'm not careful, if I forget to easily one thing that can happen very, very quickly, is that I can fool myself into believing that he will not be faithful in the future. So it's important to remember. Remember that God can be trusted to keep his promises. Friend, I'm always in your corner. And if you're in a place where I have found myself the last couple of days and couple weeks, I want you to know I feel it with you. And I'm standing shoulder to shoulder with you. And I believe in you and my prayer and my hope is that following this conversation, you take the time to intentionally reflect on how God has been faithful. And that that would stir up in your heart and your mind that you can continue to trust him to be faithful not just in the past, but in your future. I love you so much friend. I can't wait to talk to you next week.