Yes, God Does Deliver: God Delivers on His Promises

By John Langer

Yes, God delivers on His promises!

"John's book presents many of the Bible's 3,000 promises, using relatable real-life experiences to showcase God's faithfulness. His unique teaching style is refreshing, and his passion for souls and love for God shines through. It's a powerful tool for spiritual growth and renewal, inspir

• Language: English
• Publisher: River Birch Press
• Release date: May 1, 2023
• ISBN: 9781956365511

John Langer

John's passion is sharing Jesus with others. He has spoken in front of thousands and to just one. His desire for others to know God is infectious and has drawn those he fellowships with to want a deeper relationship with God. May this book do that for you and may God's blessing be with you always.

Book preview

1

PROMISES OF GOD

As I was studying the promises of God, I had a moment when God showed me something I had missed. It was about promises that we make or state of our own accord versus God’s promises. When we make a promise, we cannot guarantee it will happen no matter how hard we try. We need to have God’s hand to have a guarantee of success.

No promise has ever not happened that God said would. If He states an event will take place, then it surely will. If He gives us a promise for generations to come, we can count it as true. But when we make a promise, events can take place that can alter our journey and what we set out to do.

For instance, suppose I want to lose fifty pounds and promise God that I will do this. Nothing is for sure. I could end up hurting as I was when my knees gave out. And instead of walking twenty-five thousand steps a day, now two or three thousand could be my daily movement. So coupled with eating less, now I must recognize and adjust even more because my activity is stifled and slowing my metabolism down to a crawl.

Or say I am traveling and speaking on behalf of Go and Grow Ministries and have to eat out frequently. With restaurantsized portions and the joy of food again, succeeding would become almost impossible.

I didn’t promise God I would do that, or I would definitely be in trouble with that plan. And if I promised to always maintain a certain weight, again, a health problem could arise that would cause me to lose weight. Sometimes, sickness on trips does that, and much worse hurdles such as cancer can ravage your body. In those cases, maintaining weight is not an easy task.

I use this illustration because it is just one seemingly simple task we attempt that may never materialize. Yet when our heavenly Father says yes, then that means yes. I believe we often overlook God’s vast number of promises and walk through life without even acknowledging what He does for us.

We could not walk as we do without gravity or a solid base on which to walk. We could not walk, able to move to and fro, if God had not made us as He did because we need balance, eyesight, and understanding to know how to get from here to there.

All this was given to us; everything we could see was handed to us through our Creator, who made all things. The sad part is when I set out to walk for God and mess up.

Most of us do not intend to mess up, but we sometimes do, and the consequences can be significant. Yet I do not think twice when God does something that keeps me moving toward His will, even if it is correcting me.

I am sometimes genuinely sorry about my sins. Other times, I am more thankful for my Creator’s forgiveness.

Without the promise of forgiveness, my day would really be a waste. What value would there be if we had no hope? What would we do if every day we got up and wondered what would happen to us without God, who is holding everything in His grasp. Without the promise of making all things new, I would be dead today. I would have taken my life years ago and been gone. But God saved me, forgave me, and made me new.

I do not drink anymore because God helped me become a new man. He took away my struggle and gave me a new day with hope and a promise-filled future.

If we obey God and others, He promises to give us peace and rest. Our God is compassionate, gracious, and patient with us. I know I would never have the patience that He did to slowly get me to know Him. God is all-powerful and holy and can move mountains and stop storms instantly. And He will reward us for our faithfulness.

Now, this scenario can seem silly: I fall and sin, repent, and He picks me up and sends me on the right path. Then something else gets me off track, and again He patiently works it all out for His glory. But to receive a gift from God is hard for me to fathom, for I know I have no value without God and what He has done for me.

I do what is right for Him because of my love for Him. I want to give back my life as a testament to what He has already done for me through Jesus, so heavenly treasures almost seem wrong.

One day a man asked me what I would take with me when I died. After thinking about it, I said nothing. He said, You will take nothing, but you will send ahead many things.

The people you witnessed to that received Christ will be there. The ones you partnered with in ministry who passed away will be there, and God will have treasure waiting for you and a home created for you in heaven.

I told the man that I would lay down my treasures at Jesus’ feet as a thank-you for what He has done. A moment later, I realized we will have no way of thanking God for what He has done except through whatever avenue God has given us.

We can sing to Him, praise Him, and as we walk this earth, we can do His will as we seek it out each day. We can strive to remain faithful, getting a little better at it daily until we are gone from here and are made whole with Him in paradise.

Our God is flawless and should be our refuge. He is establishing everything in His kingdom and is readying for our arrival. One day we will be in heaven and praise Him as all His people gather together before Him as the entirety of believers unified as one. We will be able thank Him for all the promises He gave us that will be fulfilled that day when all His people finally are united for an eternity with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

2

NEVER FAR AWAY

The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. And He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us (Acts 17:24–27).

When I first read those verses and thought about how God made the heavens and earth and the vastness of the universe, it was difficult to grasp the last part of the passage that says God is not far from us. Thinking that God who made everything is always with us is an incredible, mind-boggling idea. Yet those of us who know God have His Holy Spirit living in us, so God is very near to us.

For those yet to know God, an opportunity is awaiting them to have God’s Spirit. But they must choose God. He is waiting near them for the invitation to come into each person’s life.

When I awoke today, my eyes watered at the thought of seeing my grandchildren who live in Texas and California, while I am far from them. I can go there once or twice a year, which is a blessing, but to have her near me would be a dream come true. As the grandchildren come into this world, the distance feels further and further away. Though we can talk on the phone and live video each other, it is different from sitting next to them, reading them a book, or playing hide and seek. Yet every day, we have God. Not a day goes by that our heavenly Father doesn’t want us as His child. I am not saying He likes what we do at all times, but His love is unconditional. Without His love and mercy, we would all be perishing with no hope.

In the parable of the prodigal son in Luke 15, we see a beautiful picture of Father God. The younger son squandered all the Father had given him on the things of this world. Then the son found himself with no place to stay and nothing to eat except some of what he was feeding the pigs. He found himself far from home without anyone to help him. The son thought if he went home, he could be a servant to his father and be better taken care of than he was now. So off he went to see if his father would accept him as a servant.

Here is the passage that includes the reaction by the father when the son came home after squandering so much of his wealth given to the son:

But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. And the son said to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. But the father said to his servants, Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to celebrate (Luke 15:20b–24).

Wow is my reaction to this. How is this possible? Many of us, in fact all of us, need to hear this. God loves us when we should receive no love.

When my family gathers together once a year as a whole group with everyone present, it is a celebration. We have the best food and fellowship. When we leave one another, tears come, for we know we will not see each other again for a while.

God not only forgives us of our sins, but He also gives us His best through His Son, Jesus. When we were deep in sin, the Father sent One to bring us to Him.

What an incredible honor we have to know God. Many a day, I sin and look down on my choices. Yet when I walk with my head down to God, He comes running to me. You see, He is never very far away. I know when I repent with a quiet whisper from my heart that God is listening to my plea for help, mercy, and grace, none of which I deserve.

Even as I write this today, I am reflecting on the goodness of God. How can there be such forgiveness? How is this even a possibility? When you think of where you have been in the past or even where you are today that has you far from God, please remember He is really not far away.

This morning I cried out to Him, and He answered. I sought Him and found Him. For those of you who think you are far from God, He is waiting for you also. He wants you to take His hand and let Him lead you to a celebration waiting for you, for there is a better day ahead. When this life is over, we who accepted the gift of life will gather for a great feast in heaven.

If you have never reached out to the Father, I hope you will. There is no greater joy than knowing the Father and recognizing His love for us. If you are ever in a place you feel so very far from God that there seems no way to find Him, don’t quit seeking His hand of forgiveness.

If you do, He will change you from the inside out and give you a new day with a clearer picture of Him, knowing He is there with you always.

3

GOD IS FOREVER

This chapter will look at God from an eternal perspective so that as we reflect on His promises, we may see a view that can help us trust in God’s sovereignty.

Revelations 1:8 says, ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, ‘who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.’ This is just one of many passages that refer to God as timeless. As you ponder this statement about God, to comprehend that God is not tied to time as we are doesn’t even seem remotely possible.

For you and me to have been created, there was an obvious need for a Creator. And God who made us has always been. Scripture says that Jesus, as well as the Father, has always been.

The following passage refers to Jesus having also been with God from the beginning of creation. Jesus is referred to as the Word, so as you read, think of Jesus as the Word to better understand this verse:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through Him all things were made, and without Him nothing was made that has been made. In Him was life, and that life was the light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it (John 1:1–5).

As you read this page, today I have two questions for you: Do you know what will need to be done each day when you get up? Do you ever wonder how each day could be truly planned for us? If we can begin to understand that God is not ever going away and that He will always be, we can start to see we can trust in His ways, which are good for us.

You and I are tied to time. We cannot live past a certain point without death coming to us. We can function in a world that lay before us with some expectations, but only God has the perfect view and plan for our life.

I say this to attempt to give you a picture of God. He created everything you see and know. He gave you laughter and a heart to seek Him. He gave you a body that functions in ways no person fully understands.

While you slept, you were refreshed to start another day. Yet God does not require rest as we require it. So, if we cannot know everything we may need to know for each day, He does. We can trust Him each day to give us what we need based on what He sees we need. Since He has always been, He will know what we will need in the coming days that we are not expecting.

For instance, my son cut his hand badly one day during a work accident. I was not prepared for it. He had to be flown to another hospital for surgery, and I had to drive there.

The doctor who needed to perform this complicated surgery was not at the hospital my son was being flown to, so again we needed help finding the right one. Then we experienced the financial struggle of medical expenses. He had to deal with rehab, full of hope and expectation that God would restore his hand to its full function. In this challenging situation, God was there. He knew every moment and detail of what was going on at the time, whereas none of us in the family knew if his fingers would be saved.

This was my middle son, Jacob, who lost his fingers. Thankfully, he got them back. Without the right doctors to examine and treat him that day, my son would not have his fingers today.

When we put our trust in God, it is partly because we know Him enough to know that He will do what is best for us even if we never truly understand it in this life. Because he has always been and always will be, we can be assured that the God of creation knows what He made and how to help His creation in the ways we need.

God is omniscient, which means He is all-knowing. God is omnipotent, which means infinitely powerful. He is also omnipresent, meaning He is present everywhere at all times. How powerful to be all of these at once! He is everywhere, knows everything, and has the power to do anything He wants. This should motivate us to learn His plan for us and trust in His ways.

We serve the God who is above all because He created all things. This means He can do what He wishes with His creation and change things up if He so desires. But many will not want to give up their choices for God because they want to make their own decisions in life. That freedom is given by God to man so that those who say they love Him genuinely love Him.

We must want this precious God who loves us. He is willing to let people choose the wrong