What To Do When the Promise God Gives You Dies

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Most of us have experienced that glorious moment when God revealed His plan for our life.

Suddenly our life has new meaning and purpose.

We know why we are here on earth, and it’s not just to have a good career, a nice family, retire well, and go to heaven.

We now have a higher purpose, a purpose that is eternal and heavenly!

Days go by. Weeks. Months. Years. And that purpose begins to lose life.

Roadblocks prevent us from reaching that dream. Day-to-day life gets in the way and there seems to be no hope of us fulfilling the purpose God gave us.

Disappointment sets in and we begin to question whether that call was truly from God, or if it was just our own ambition tricking us into thinking it was God.

What To Do When the Promise God Gives You Dies

If this is your story, you are not alone.

I know it feels like you’re the only one this has ever happened to, but we actually read this same scenario many times over in the Bible; as we will see below.

All throughout history this story has played out through countless lives — and for a reason.

God has a very specific reason why He allows the dreams He gives us to seemingly die.

So far in our Good Morning Girls study through the book of Genesis, we read that God gave Abraham and Sarah a promise – their descendants would number more than the stars in the sky.

One problem.

They had no kids and are now both too old to remedy that problem.

The promise was given, and it was a seemingly impossible promise. Until it wasn’t – because at the age of 90 she gave birth to Isaac.

The promise is starting to take place!

Then, the unthinkable happened. God speaks to Abraham and tells him to take Isaac, his only son, and offer him as a sacrifice on an altar.

There are many parallels in this story and in the stories of Joseph and Jesus.

Sarah, Rebekah, and Mary all couldn’t have children until God miraculously opened their wombs and they all gave birth to a son.

All three men were men of promise.

Through Isaac God would make Abraham’s descendants multiply countlessly.
Joseph was given dreams that his family would bow down to him.
Jesus was the Messiah, the promised Savior of the world.

All three experienced death to that promise.

Isaac was placed on an altar of sacrifice.
Joseph was sold into slavery and left forgotten in prison.
Jesus was tried, convicted, and executed as a criminal.

Abraham told no one about what God had commanded him to do.

Unknowingly, Abraham took Isaac and together they began to act out the story of Jesus’ redemption for all mankind.

They set out for the land of Moriah, the very place where Jesus would hang on the cross.

Abraham took the wood for the sacrifice and gave it to Isaac to carry – just as Jesus would later carry His cross.

Once the altar was prepared, he placed Isaac on the wood on the altar – just as Jesus would hang on the cross.

When Isaac had asked, “Where’s the lamb for the burnt offering”, Abraham in his great faith replied, “God will provide for Himself the lamb.”

And He did.

Both that day and on another day thousands of years later!

All three men would experience a resurrection of their promise:

Jesus was raised from the dead on the third day.

Pharaoh’s cupbearer remembered Joseph in prison when Pharaoh had a disturbing dream, causing Joseph to become 2nd in command in all of Egypt.

God provided a ram in the thicket for Abraham and Isaac to sacrifice that day, restoring Isaac back to Abraham so that the promise given would be fulfilled.

And He will do the same for you.

So often when we are given a promise from God, we are tempted to make that promise happen in our own strength.

Abraham tried this and the outcome was Ishmael, who would later become a people that would be at battle with the nation of Israel to this day.

Therefore, God will often lead us through a season when it seems the promise He has given us dies because He wants to rid us of all attempts to fulfill that promise in our own flesh.

So that when He resurrects that promise, He gets all the glory!

Just as He provided the ram
Just as He exalted Joseph to become Pharaoh’s right-hand man
Just as He raised Christ from the grave

So He will also fulfill the promise He gave to us in a way we could never expect or imagine if we will only trust in His power to work and move through our lives.

This can only happen, though, when we make the choice to surrender to His mighty hand.

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.

1 Peter 5:6-7

Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.

James 4:10

The promise cannot be fulfilled when our own efforts are involved. It can only be fulfilled when we humble ourselves before God – only then can He lift us up.

Only then will He get all of the glory.