Promise Fulfillment

Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord.

(Luke 1:45, NKJV)

As we interact with others in life, we learn that what is at times promised to us does not come to fruition.  There could be different reasons why an individual fails to make a promise come true, it might be situations beyond their control, a change of mind or sadly just a lack of commitment to see it through.  I have experienced disappointments from unfulfilled promises and I admit that I have also failed to deliver on my promise to other people.  While we all try to extend some understanding to the individual who has failed us, if we have experienced multiple failures by the same individual, we tend to be unbelieving and skeptical about anything they say.  Other times, the individuals redeem themselves and the past failure is forgiven.  I have observed that response to these missed opportunities of hope is very much based on previous interactions of established trust deposits, withdrawals and overdrafts.  Our relating with others are like banking transactions, where we build or loose trust which in turn influences our social capital.

 Our reference verse was spoken by Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist, upon her meeting with Mary the mother of Jesus.  When Mary greeted Elizabeth, the bible records that the baby in Elizabeth’s womb (John) leaped for joy and this led Elizabeth to speak words of blessing to Mary.  This verse comes at the end of Elizabeth’s words.  In the past, any time I read this passage I was struck by the connection that the two women experienced, courtesy of the babies in their wombs.  That was miraculous.  This time however, the word fulfillment caught my attention.  The verse talks of fulfillment of what has been spoken or promised to another by the Lord. It is not just realization of what we have been trying to achieve in our own strength and effort but it is what has been promised to us by God.  There is a weight to that when we consider who has spoken the words to us, the Lord God almighty.  A condition for this fulfillment is also given, the one who believes.  Beloved, this is what stayed with me, the words fulfillment and believing.  They are linked and each answers to the other.  We know He who has spoken the words to us is faithful and unfailing, so the issue is not with the source, He is willing, ready and well able to fulfill His word.  The call is on us to create the space through which the promise can be made a reality, this is where believing comes in.  However, before we move to believing, we need to know the word that God has spoken to us so that we believe for it.  There are times we have declared that we believe and yes we believe  in God, but we do not know what we are believing for.  It helps to know what we are believing for according to the word of God, that way we can watch the fulfillment of the same.

 The bible gives us the assurance of God’s word as unfailing, highlighting that even if heaven and earth would pass away, His word would never fail or pass away (Matthew 24:35).  The fidelity of God’s word is anchored in His character so much so that the psalmist states that God has magnified His word above His own name (Psalm 138:2).  The word of God is God Himself and so we can stand with full confidence that it will be fulfilled.  It does not matter the circumstances around us, we can still hope and trust in the God who affirms that the expectations of the righteous will not be cut short (Proverbs 10:28).  Beloved, keep holding on to what the Lord has promised you, keep believing for that is the ingredient of its fulfillment.  Be encouraged in the waiting season, being confident that it will surely come to pass.

 Thoughts:

What has been spoken of you by the Lord?

When have you seen God fulfill His promises in your life?

How are you fanning your waiting season?