By Chelsea Loomis

Genesis 17:17-19 “…But God said, “No. Your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will name him Isaac. I will confirm my covenant with him as a permanent covenant for his future offspring.” (CSB) (prophesied around 2066 B.C.)

Matthew 1:1-16 “This is the record of the ancestors of Jesus the Messiah, a descendant of David and of Abraham: Abraham was the father of Isaac. … Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary. Mary gave birth to Jesus, who is called the Messiah.” (NLT)

How many times in life have you been promised something only to have that promise broken? I don’t about you, but for me this can lead to a lot of heartache. Fortunately, when God makes a promise, we can rest in assurance that his promise will never be broken. We don’t know when or how his promises will be fulfilled, but we know that they certainly will come true.

In Genesis 12:1-4, God promised Abraham he would become a great nation. Abraham was already seventy-five at this time. In Genesis 15, God confirmed his promise with a covenant. In Genesis 17, Abraham is now ninety-nine years old, and God once again confirms his promise. This time, he tells Abraham to name his son Isaac. If you continue reading Genesis, you discover that Isaac is not born until chapter 21. Abraham was one-hundred years old at this time. Sarah and Abraham grew grayer with time and I’m sure their faith wavered in the twenty-five-year waiting period.

Although twenty-five years is a long time to wait, imagine waiting a couple thousand years for the promised Messiah! He also came as a baby boy. This time born of a virgin. His name is Jesus.

In Matthew 1, you can trace his lineage all the way back to Abraham. We truly never know when or how God will fulfill a promise, but we can be sure that he will. His timing is better than our timing. He could have brought Isaac sooner or given the promise later, but waiting was a part of his plan for Abraham. God’s timing and plans are perfect. God makes promises throughout the Bible. My favorite is the promise of Jesus.

Food For Thought: What’s your favorite promise?