The Promises of God

A sampling of a few of the most popular types of images on the internet that are associated with "promises":

wildermuth.com

gon.to

mkalty.org

lakeschurch.com

To be clear, I'm not talking about the sources these images came from, or what the images were originally intended for. I'm looking at these as examples of the things that come to mind when we start talking about promises.

Things like making an agreement with someone else, being hurt or disappointed over a broken promise, or keeping a cheery perspective while holding out hope that God's promises are true.

I've known -and you probably have too- people who refuse to make or accept promises for fear of disappointment, as well as people who throw around promises like discount coupons.

Broken promises and agreements can cause a lot of pain. 

Of all those we want to trust and put our hope in, the promises of God stand out. But sometimes, it doesn't feel like God keeps His promises. Sometimes, He seems as unreliable and sneaky as the people around us.

Scripture assures us this isn't the case, for example: 

"The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise" -2 Peter 3:9

"I will not forget my promises" -2 Chronicles 6:14

It seems that the promises we tend to feel God isn't keeping are the promises He never made. 

That's human. All too often, we add to Scripture. We tack on clauses and develop formulas and make unspoken, one-sided agreements with the Lord.

It's stuff like asking the Lord with the expectation He'll give, but asking with the wrong intentions (James 4:3). Or, the classic "Lord, if you___, then I will___."

You might not phrase it that way. I don't always. For example, in working on a book recently, I was convicted that to write from God's Word, I had to know God's Word. I read all the way through Scripture for the first time. And when I finished His Word, I waited a day...two days. 

Then I got upset. The long-awaited, lots-of-hard-work book was nowhere near finished. I did what He asked. I finished His Word. Why wasn't He enabling me to finish my words?

I didn't start off my reading with "Lord, I'm doing this for you, you do this for me." But somewhere, at some point, in my heart, I determined that because He asked me to write and to read, that He would fulfill it just as I was working hard to fulfill.

That's a promise God never made to me. And it's a just a simple example.

Once a friend of mine swore off dating for a year. Felt like God said not to. And when the year was up, my friend was mad because within a few weeks, even months, God hadn't yet honored the commitment by providing a significant other.

Do you do this?

It can be even subtler…

Like believing what Scripture says about something specific -and applying it more broadly. Or taking what the Word says broadly and applying it specifically to my situation. His Word can easily be twisted, and often it is. 

When we believe the distorted Word of God, we are set up for disappointment. Our expectations are skewed, and our priorities are too.

If God's word is contorted to say that your happiness is God's goal, then you're going to feel at times, like when you're sad or suffering, that God isn't living up to His promises. You're going to place a wrongful priority on your happiness because, if that's what God promised you, then you are entitled to it. 

The promise of God to all people, according to Scripture, is His son Jesus Christ. If you’re looking for God to fulfill His promises, look no further –“it is finished” (John 19:30). Jesus came, He died, He rose again, and He offers the free gift of grace and eternal life.

In the earlier cited verse of Chronicles 6:14, we read about God fulfilling His promise to David to keep his descendants on the throne. Other promises in the Old Testament are similar in that they all play a part in God keeping His word, the word he gave in the beginning when He said that the offspring of woman would crush Satan.

2 Peter 3:9, also cited earlier, says that the Lord isn’t slow in keeping His promise. What promise? The one fulfilled in Christ. The one that continues to be fulfilled in Christ as the Lord so patiently draws people to Himself, giving everyone a chance at eternal life. In Revelation, we read all the more of how God has, is, and will keep His promise.

He will restore the world. He will save His people. His promise is good, it’s perfect, and it matters above all else.

That’s God’s priority. That is what we can rest in and set our hope upon. Those that belong to the Lord will spend eternity in His presence.

A lot of things won’t work out that we think should. Plenty of feelings will be felt that we think shouldn’t be necessary or serve no purpose. Our circumstances often won’t be what, by all reasoning, we deserve.

But in the end, we’ll get what we don’t deserve: mercy and grace. We’ll be made complete in Christ. Our feelings will be all to His glory. And all things will have worked together for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28).

That’s the promise of God. It is sufficient. Surely He is faithful.  

Extra Flaky Beef Pot Pie

First of all, all these measurements are approximate. Tailor as you see fit, please! The explanation is lengthy because so much of this depends on your taste and judgement, it's not that scary, I promise.   Also -enjoy!!

What You'll Need: 

Meat:

-1 LB Cubes of Beef (Stew Beef, Chuck Beef for Skewers)

-2 Tbsp. Butter

-Thyme

-Rosemary

-Onion Powder*

-Garlic Powder

-Salt

-Pepper

-1 Cup Red Wine

Crust:

-2 Cups Flour

-Pinch of Salt

-1 Tsp. Garlic Powder

-1 Tbsp. Italian Seasoning

-1/3 Cup Shortening

-1/3 Cup Cold Butter, Cubed

-6-7 Tbsps. Ice Water

Gravy and Veggies:

-1/4 Cup Olive Oil

-Asparagus**

-Corn**

-Carrots**

-1 ½ Cups Beef Broth

-1/3 Cup Flour

*You could probably slice fresh onion in for better flavor, but some guy I cook for has allergies!

**A frozen veggie blend is fine, but only steam it for the half the time so veggies don’t turn into mush. 1 bag is sufficient.

What You'll Need to Do

Lightly spray a large skillet and melt butter in it over medium high heat. When butter is bubbling, add cubes of beef that have been patted dry.

Sear beef two to three minutes, adding seasoning according to your preferences. Flip beef, searing for another couple of minutes until all sides are browned.

Transfer beef to a new skillet, adding in the cup of wine. Cover and begin simmering. The beef will be simmering as you prepare the rest of the meal, so check back occasionally to stir it so that all sides have a chance to soak in the wine. Be sure to set aside the original skillet, extra seasoning, butter, and meat drippings intact. You’ll use all that later.

While the beef is simmering, prepare your crust as it will need to chill for at least a half an hour.

For the crust, combine flour, salt, and seasonings in a bowl. With a pastry cutter, blend in butter and shortening until the mixture resembles course meal. Slowly stir in ice water until loose clumps of dough form.

Don’t add extra water! With a little TLC, those loose clumps of dough will come together and form a flaky, delicate crust. Overworking or watering the dough will make it tough, chewy, or fragile.

Here’s the fun part. Dust your hands with flour (best to rings from fingers!) and begin pushing the dough into a ball. Flip it in the bowl, and keep pressing with your palms. 

Just keep doing this until a ball has formed and there isn’t a lot of flour or crumb left. Now press the dough ball until it is about a half an inch tall. Fold it in half, turn it, and press it out again. You’re basically making rough puff (check the end of this helpful article about the technique for pictures. You don’t need the rolling pin or pastry scraper for this crust, this is the Clint Eastwood of “rough” puff.)

Motivation to get you through :)

Once you’ve folded and pressed this dough to your heart’s content (or until it starts to resist the pressing) wrap it in cling film and refrigerate at least a half an hour.

Be sure to check back on your simmering beef as you start the veggies a gravy. Place raw veggies or lightly steamed frozen veggies in the large, used skillet with remaining fat and seasonings. Lightly douse with oil and cook over medium heat. Dust the veggies and pan with a thin layer of flour, stirring the flour in to create a ragged roux.

Pour in 1 cup of the beef broth, stirring it all together. Raise heat to medium-high and allow the gravy to bubble for 3-5 minutes. Reduce heat, allowing the gravy to thicken –really thicken, it should be too dense at this point.

Pour meat, remaining wine, and remaining broth into the gravy and vegetable skillet. Stir until gravy is desired texture. If it’s too thin, sprinkle a little extra flour, raise the heat for a few minutes, then reduce to low again.

In the meantime, divide your dough into nearly equal portions (one should be just a touch bigger!) Roll the bigger dough ball out to form bottom and side crust. You’ll see big patches of yellow or white striating the dough. Those will be scrumptious flakes soon.

Place crust in a pie tin. Scoop meat and vegetables into the crust, then pour on the gravy until it nearly reaches the brim of the pan (don’t overdo it or you’ll have a mess when it boils in the oven.)

Roll out the top crust, covering and using just your fingers to seal it. Slice a few vent lines in the top and place the pie tin on a baking tray.

Pop it in oven at 375 for 15 minutes with a crust protection ring (or a foil ring.) Remove ring and raise temperature to 400. 

Bake for ten more minutes, or until crust is flaky and cooked through.

Serve with a side of roasted potatoes  : )  Yum!

When the Lord Providing Sounds Like a Fish Tale...

gracedependent.com

Oh, those weird moments when something not-so-crazy just strikes you as nuts and makes you laugh.

I was flipping through the Bible trying to decide what to read. Maybe it’s just me, but when I flip through, I skim and single lines pop out. This one made me burst into giggles:

“Now the Lord provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah.”

That’s Jonah 1:17. You probably know the story. God told Jonah to do something, Jonah decided to go the opposite direction, a big fish swallowed Jonah and made him think twice about his current position with the Lord. After praying, Jonah was vomited out of the fish onto shore. Jonah went on to obey the Lord.

Here’s what had me laughing: provided. The Lord provided.

I hear those words a lot. I use those words a ton.

The Lord does provide. He provides all the time, faithfully, with good gifts and enough to get us through.

We say things like that the Lord provided in our time of need, or that He provided us great friends. His timing is a part of His providing, as are financial gifts, great conversations, books that speak to the soul, etc.

So I read the words “Now the Lord provided.” And then….”a huge fish!” Even crazier….”to swallow Jonah!”

Can you imagine saying that to someone? “Yeah, the Lord has really provided for me. He provided this traffic jam, or this long line at the grocery store….”

Okay, yes people say things like that. But it’s usually stuff like “thank goodness God provided by turning off my alarm, and because I was late for work I missed a fire in the office.”

In Jonah’s case, the Lord provided a fish to swallow Jonah whole…just to have him thrown up and to send him on to the last place he wanted to go. God’s provision was correctional.

That’s the kind of provision this verse is referring to. In Hebrew, this “provision” word is “manah.” It’s short definition is “appointed,” while words like “reckon,” “number,” and “count” are all associated. In its other uses, this word refers to the conscious action of putting something in place intentionally, or taking stock of something.

This word “manah” describes people being appointed into places of leadership, leaders being told to take stock of their people, God alone having put in place all the descendants of Abraham, and of course, God putting Jonah into the belly of a big fish.

What if the Lord provided you with a traffic jam on the way to work not to protect you from some worse incident, but to challenge your obsession with deadlines?

How about when that long line at the grocery store got you to notice an old lady with too many bags to carry…who you were then inclined to help…which annoyed you even though it was the right thing to do….?

The Lord’s provision for me, and for you, is at times more about putting us in the place He wants us –even for correction, taking stock of our obedience- than fulfilling our perceived needs.