Promises, Promises, Promises

 For the first time in my 52 years as a Malaysian, I attended a political ceramah. Ok, ok, I did say I wouldn't in my last blog posting, as honestly I don't fancy all the (usually bad-mouthing) rhetoric that all political candidates are apt to make come election time. But this one was very conveniently taking place just behind my house. Hey, no need to drive out, battle the traffic on the road and go around in circles looking for a parking spot - that's a huge plus. Man, I could even have a home-cooked meal and take a slow stroll 3 mins. before the appointed time. So I went. The air was cool after the heavy storm earlier. The field was all wet, but that didn't stop the people from standing/sitting wherever they could (some even brought their own chairs or stools) to listen to speaker after speaker talk about this, that or the other thing under the M'sian sky. After 2 hours I had enough. Did it change my mind about whom to vote for? Nah. Did it tell me anything new or important that I didn't already know? Nah. Did it make lots of promises? Ya. But I guess this is the season for making promises left, right and center. That's all we hear about, read about, am told about everywhere anywhere. I get bombarded with manifestos, pamphlets, and banners proclaiming the virtues of marking my X against a certain symbol or other. If they (and by they I mean all) candidates could, we would be promised the sun, moon and stars on a gold/silver (take your pick ) platter. I don't  mean to be cynical, indeed its their 'job' to make promises, all aspiring leaders must have a vision after all, and vision means holding out certain promises.


Indeed making promises isn't confined to politicians. A man and a woman exchange rings in holy matrimony as they promise to have and to hold each other for better or for worse till death do they part. A parent promises his child $100 for each A scored in his exams. My not-so-young kid promises to clean up her room....soon. Bosses hold out the promise of better bonuses when the business booms. The drug addict in rehab promises to turn over a new leaf. Man make all kinds of promises to themselves and to each other. Sadly some of these promises never do come true. I have learnt not to get too excited about man's promises, since many times promises remain just that - good intentions. What guarantee backs up a promise? If a man can't even be sure whether this is gonna be his last day on earth, on what basis can I believe him that he will fulfil his word given? That's the frailty of human life and human promises.

But God's promises are another thing altogether. Mind you, His promises are so much more grandiose and glorious by far than what any human can ever come up with. He doesn't just talk about tents, cattle, sheep, wine and oil - the nitty-gritty of ordinary life. He talks about heart-stirring stuff like the real meaning of life and freedom, eternity, forgiveness of sin, abundance and potential to be all that He has perfectly designed each one of us to be. God's promises about truth, peace, justice, equality and righteousness beats any and every political manifesto. According to various sources, there are at least 3000 promises in the Bible, some go up as high as 5-7000. I dunno, I never bothered to count them, as I have difficulty keeping track of them all scattered over 66 books, about 1000 chapters and some 31,000 verses.

Yet if I can be so 'realistic' about distrusting man's comparatively much fewer and so much less fantastic promises, why should I or anyone for that matter believe any of God's promises in the first place? What guarantee does God provide to back Himself up?? Is God just another 'politician' offering free sweet-mouthing ear-pleasing platitudes of a so-called better life, if I 'vote' for Him? Heaven forbid that the Almighty God, Creator, Sustainer and Preserver of all life should be reduced to nothing more than a divine 'fisherman' dangling all sorts of 'bait', desperate to 'hook' us into His 'net'. Actually God doesn't need us, quite the opposite, it's man who needs his Creator, even for every breath we so unconsciously draw. And God doesn't need to promise us anything. He's not 'in it' for the power, prestige or pomp. He is already AWESOME. But He does anyway and this is what boggles me - He does it simply becoz He loves. No other motivation. His promises remain whether we believe Him or not, whether we want them or not. And the best part is His promises are all true, they all come to pass, in His perfect timing and according to His perfect ways. What He says He will do, He will do.

Legally, the mostest that man can do to guarantee a promise is to put it down in writing, sign, stamp and seal it. God went far beyond that. He gave us a Guarantor who literally sealed all His promises with His own blood. When Jesus Christ died bleeding on the cross, God was saying 'Here is security you can trust.' When Jesus rose alive from the dead 3 days later, God was saying, 'There you are, here is proof that you can see...I am what I AM.' What else will convince us that God is not a liar if not this by this 1 act of Jesus' supreme sacrificial love in dying to take upon Himself the judgement that's rightfully meant for us sinners? And by the very blood that flowed out of His own body, signed sealed and delivered God's guarantee that His "promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off" (Acts 2:39). There it is; it doesn't matter that I wasn't born 2013 years ago to see, hear and witness Jesus Christ alive, dead and resurrected. God's promises are granted to those who choose to believe by faith in Jesus Christ, the divine Guarantor, who had already done all that is necessary to secure and realize every single one of them. The last words of a 110 year old warrior who led a whole nation into God's Promised Land is recorded in Joshua 23:14 - " Now I am about to go the way of all the earth. You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the Lord your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed." The last words of Jesus Christ as He hung dying on the cross, "It is finished." - Fait accompli - a done deal. 

I will not live to be 110. But I know for a fact, when I die, I will be able to declare the same thing. Even the best of human politicians and human promises come and go. But God is forever and His promises stand for eternity. Sure, I will cast my vote, but I'd rather put my trust in a fantastic faithful God than in fickle frail man.

"For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through him the "Amen" is spoken by us to the glory of God" - 2 Corinthians 1:20