On the journey of the unchosen it can be tempting to claim promises God has never given. He never promised me a child. He never promised me a marriage, a career, a home, a bank account, a friend group, that looked exactly like what I had envisioned. If my hope is entangled with and dependent upon things he never promised, I will quickly find myself hope-less! But... "He who promised is faithful" you might say. And to that I say, "Yes and amen and also let's back that bus up and look in the rear view mirror of this phrase." Context matters. Hebrews 10:19-23 says, "Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God..."
Let the above truths be the reasons you do the following:
"...let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water"
Consider drawing near to God today, not because he has given you things, or the storyline of life you had constructed in your head, draw near today because he has cleansed you from a guilty conscience and has given you confidence of eternal life through Christ.
And now, with this this in mind, "Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful." The hope we profess is much more exquisite than having things here inside our mortal lives. This is the kind of hope that will carry us securely into eternity.
At the end of your life the one promise you are going to be desperate for is that when you die, you won't cease to live!
And let us not forget what follows:
Heb 10:24-25 “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching."
I hope this message, when it reaches you, spurs you on to love, good deeds, and a drawing near to the One whose plans for your life are in no way limited to your finite years on this planet.
Pan out and draw near with me.
- Carrie Breedlove MS, LPC
