God’s Promises on Your Lips

“𝑵𝒐𝒘 𝑱𝒆𝒔𝒖𝒔 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒈𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒖𝒑 𝒕𝒐 𝑱𝒆𝒓𝒖𝒔𝒂𝒍𝒆𝒎. 𝑶𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒚, 𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑻𝒘𝒆𝒍𝒗𝒆 𝒂𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒎,  “𝑾𝒆 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒈𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒖𝒑 𝒕𝒐 𝑱𝒆𝒓𝒖𝒔𝒂𝒍𝒆𝒎, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑺𝒐𝒏 𝒐𝒇 𝑴𝒂𝒏 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒃𝒆 𝒅𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒉𝒊𝒆𝒇 𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒂𝒘. 𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒎𝒏 𝒉𝒊𝒎 𝒕𝒐 𝒅𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒉 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒉𝒊𝒎 𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑮𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒍𝒆𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒄𝒌𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒇𝒍𝒐𝒈𝒈𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒄𝒓𝒖𝒄𝒊𝒇𝒊𝒆𝒅. 𝑶𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒓𝒅 𝒅𝒂𝒚 𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒃𝒆 𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆!” – Matthew 20:18-19

The very beginning of a life-changing journey, a difficult journey, one that was no surprise to Jesus or even His disciples. The 14-mile journey from Jericho to Jerusalem was not long but it was the beginning of a walk that would change the world. As they hiked south to Jerusalem, I would imagine that Passover was on the minds of the disciples, feasts, and visits with old friends. I wonder what was on Jesus’ mind. Was it the betrayal of a friend, the savage beating of a whip laced with iron, or the cruelest death upon that cross?

Sometimes staring at a future painful event for too long can be more distressing than the event itself. When my little girl, Hannah, told me she wanted to move back to Canada, I was devastated. The time leading up to her leaving caused me huge anxiety. An ocean of tears was cried, this was something I never imagined happening. To live apart from my baby girl was not something I had ever considered. My eyes still well up at the reality today. A trivial example in the light of the journey set before my Saviour.

I am more than sure that this final journey to Jerusalem was at the forefront of our Saviour’s mind, and I’m sure caused him much anguish. He was fully human just as He was fully God.

But look at that last line; “𝑶𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒓𝒅 𝒅𝒂𝒚, 𝑯𝒆 𝑾𝑰𝑳𝑳 𝒃𝒆 𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆.” Like the thrust of a spear into the enemy’s heart. Jesus began His journey with God’s promise upon His lips! ‘𝘖𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘥 𝘥𝘢𝘺, 𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯!’ This was not something Jesus had control of, He trusted His Father, He trusted the promise. As Jesus turned to Jerusalem, He declared the promise of God over His life!

God’s Word tells us, “𝑰 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒐𝒍𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒔𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔, 𝒔𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝒎𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒎𝒂𝒚 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒑𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒆. 𝑰𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒃𝒍𝒆. 𝑩𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕! 𝑰 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅!” (John 16:33) But take heart, I have overcome the world! We can all agree with ‘in this world, you will have trouble.’ That is a given. But Jesus has overcome the world!

I know that many of you are on a hard journey, your future may seem uncertain, and anxiety over coming events may threaten to overwhelm you. Life’s journeys are uncertain. Jesus knows. He understands. He’s been there. He sees you. Accepts you. Loves you.

When I look backwards at my own tough journeys, how much easier would they have been if I had stepped into them with God’s promises on my lips instead of my own tangled words? If I had drawn the sword of God’s Word and declared His truth, let His peace settle in my heart, would anxiety and anguish be held at bay?

Jesus’ declaration, His trust in His Heavenly Father carried our precious Saviour through His hardest days, to His appointed time and through the other side. God’s Word took Him to that place of rejoicing, of overcoming, to that glorious place where the angels announced, “𝑯𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆; 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝑯𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒆𝒏, 𝒂𝒔 𝑯𝒆 𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒅.” (Matt 28:6) Exactly as Jesus declared, I will rise again. Just as our Father had promised.

Today if this is you. If your road is hard and the journey forbidding, if your future seems uncertain and anxiety overwhelms – 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐆𝐨𝐝 𝐬𝐚𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮? 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐇𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮?  Open God’s Word, His Holy Bible filled with holy promises and find the ones that you can cling to.  The ones that you can take as a sword and thrust into the very heart of the enemy. The ones that you can declare with eyes of faith – 𝗚𝗼𝗱’𝘀 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗶𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗹𝗶𝗽𝘀!