I have been reading in the book of Joshua lately, which gives an account of the Israelites leaving the wilderness and entering the promised land to take possession of the territory that God had pledged to give them. Towards the end of the book, after God’s people had conquered the inhabitants of the land and divided up the cities amongst themselves, we are told – “Not one word of all the good promises that the Lord had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass.” (Joshua 21:45)
Whenever I read that verse I find myself pausing and considering, what if it had been worded just a little differently? What if it said, “only one” of the Lord’s promises to His people had failed, or, “most of them” came to pass? I would be left wondering whether or not I could count on God, for the reality is that if we can’t trust God to keep His promises all of the time, then we can’t trust Him at all.
Thankfully, God is completely and continually faithful. It is impossible for Him to be otherwise. We can always place our total trust in His Word and will always find Him to be totally worthy of that trust.
The truth that God’s promises are never-failing encourages me greatly, but it also challenges me to immerse myself more deeply in the Scriptures, for how can I place my confidence in a promise that I am unaware of?
May God make us people who firmly believe every promise that He makes, and whose lives reflect the reality of that belief.
