God's Promises Don't Depend on Us

The prosperity gospel teaches that God rewards us with health and wealth in proportion to our faith. Passages like John 16:33 lead me to deny the veracity of these claims. But, while studying Genesis, I came face-to-face with how the message of the prosperity gospel had seeped into my own theology. I had unknowingly embraced the view that God’s promises were in some way contingent on my good choices.

Enter Abraham to take me to task on my thinking!

And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, “She is my sister.” And Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah. But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night and said to him, “Behold, you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is a man’s wife.” Now Abimelech had not approached her. So he said, “Lord, will you kill an innocent people?” (Genesis 20:2-4 ESV)

Clearly, Abraham made a poor choice here, pretending Sarah was his sister. The natural consequences of his actions could have been terrible for Sarah and for God’s plan to establish the line of Christ through Abraham and Sarah.

God had already made these promises to Abraham:

“For all the land that you see I will give to you and to your offspring forever. I will make your offspring as the dust of the earth, so that if one can count the dust of the earth, your offspring also can be counted.” (Gen. 13:15 ESV)
“And he brought him outside and said, ‘Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.’ Then he said to him, ‘So shall your offspring be.’” ( Gen. 15:5 ESV).
“And God said to Abraham, ‘As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. I will bless her, and moreover, I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall become nations; kings of peoples shall come from her.’” ( Gen. 17:15-16 ESV)

Abraham’s choice indicates that he feared man more than he trusted God’s promises. Miraculously, God provided a way out. He kept the king from sinning by touching Sarah. God spoke to the king in a dream, informing him she was married and telling him to return her to her husband. God provided protection for Sarah despite Abraham’s poor choice.

God protected Sarah in order to keep his promises to Abraham.

After Abraham’s failure.

God’s plans and promises can never be thwarted by man’s decisions. God’s grace is always bigger than our failures.

I need to remind myself of this. Often. When the job offer doesn’t come through. It wasn’t the job God had for us. When other people’s poor decisions affect those I love. God will use this circumstance for our good and his glory. When I make a bad choice. His grace is sufficient. We can trust God’s promises, even when we mess up.

Years later, God asked Abraham to take his son, Isaac, and sacrifice him on Mount Moriah. Isaac was the promised son who was expected to continue his line and produce the offspring that God said would outnumber the stars. Faithfully, Abraham began the journey taking only his son and the wood he needed.

“And Isaac said to his father Abraham, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” He said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” Abraham said, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” (Gen. 22:7-8 ESV)

Abraham had been walking with the Lord for many years at this point. He knew God kept his promises. In faith, Abraham proceeded with the instructions the Lord had given him. He raised the knife to sacrifice his son:

But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. (Gen. 22:11-13 ESV)

God provided a ram as a substitutionary sacrifice in order to keep his promise.

This should be so reassuring to us! These are a few of my favorite promises:

“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” (Isa. 41:10 ESV)
“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (Matt. 11:28-29 ESV)
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16 ESV)
“I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.” (John 10:28-29 ESV)

God provided his only son as a substitutionary sacrifice in order to keep his promises to us.

God goes to great lengths to keep his promises.

Ann Skalaski and her husband of thirty-three years live in Gainesville, FL. They have moved a dozen times, raising three children along the way. They have added a son-in-law, daughter-in-law, and two precious grandsons to the mix. When she is not packing or unpacking, Ann enjoys serving as a mentor mom for MOPS International, joining Bible studies, meeting friends for coffee, taking long walks, and watching lots of football. Ann is passionate about using lessons from her journey to help other women navigate change in their own lives.