Experiencing God’s PromisesSample

Trust in God’s Promise

Scripture: “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.” Isaiah 26:3-4

Devotional: 

The Bible consistently gives us an image to visualize when thinking about the character of God. Psalm 18:2 says, “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” 2 Samuel 22:32 says, “For who is God, but the Lord? And who is a rock, except our God?” I love how the Lord chooses to use creation to tell us of the invisible attributes of his nature. To our eyes, rocks are unchanging, steady, and stable. Generations of men come and go, but rocks stay visually the same. So it is with our God. 1 Kings 8:56 says, “Blessed be the Lord who has given rest to his people Israel, according to all that he promised. Not one word has failed of all his good promise, which he spoke by Moses his servant.” The promises of God are sure. They are even more immovable than the strongest mountains. They are more steadfast than the very ground you walk on.

You can place your trust in God and believe he'll follow through on his promises. In fact, experiencing his promises to the extent God intends for you requires trust. Isaiah 26:3-4 says, “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.” Throughout Scripture, God leads his people to peace. He’s promised peace to us as his children. But Isaiah 26 tells us of an incredibly important concept. Those who will be kept in “perfect peace” are those “whose mind is stayed” on God. And a mind can only be stayed on God “because he trusts in [him].” 

Experiencing the fullness of God’s promises requires our steadfast trust. For example, Philippians 4:19 says, “My God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” God promises to “supply every need of yours.” His promise is sure. But experiencing the peace his promise of provision is meant to supply requires trusting in his word. He will provide for your needs regardless of your trust, but you won’t be able to experience the peace God longs to give if you’re constantly worried about whether or not you’ll be provided for. The commonly quoted promise of Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” God will still have an incredible plan for your life regardless of whether you trust his word. But God’s promise is meant to produce in you an unshakable assurance. You are created to live your life trusting that God has a plan for you and will reveal it to you perfectly. Experiencing that assurance requires the act of trusting God’s character and leadership. 

Where do you need “perfect peace” today? Where do you need rest for your soul? Search out the promises of God. Remember that his promises are sure. He is your rock and your refuge. Place your trust in his promises as often as it takes until they produce peace in your life. Choose continually to place your hope in God and live a life of faith in response to his faithfulness. God has a plan to lead you to peace today. He has a plan to produce joy and hope in you that can’t be taken away by any circumstance or fear. Experience all that God’s promises are meant to produce today by trusting in your Rock, your everlasting and loving heavenly Father.

Guided Prayer:

1. Meditate on God’s immovable promises. 

“The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” Psalm 18:2

2. Where in your life do you need to experience more of the fruit of God’s promises? Where do you need peace and hope?

3. Choose to place your trust in God today. Search out his promises that have to do with areas in your life that cause you worry or fear, and then place your trust in those promises. 

“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.” Isaiah 26:3-4

The Lord has incredible patience to lead you through the process of trusting him. God knows that experiencing all that the Christian life is intended to give requires incredible faith. Jesus said, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (John 20:29). If you find yourself fearful, worried, our doubting, it is all right. Just don’t stay there! Search out God’s promises. Spend time in prayer. Spend time “casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7). Trusting God is a lifelong pursuit. But it is a pursuit worth all of your time and energy. Commit yourself to spending time exploring and experiencing the faithfulness of God. Let his steadfast love produce in you trust and hope. Place your trust today in your God, the only one who will never fail you. 

Extended Reading: Isaiah 26