Nothing But a Promise

Then the high priest said, “Are these things so?” And [Stephen] said, “Brethren and fathers, listen: The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Haran, and said to him, ‘Get out of your country and from your relatives, and come to a land that I will show you.’ Then he came out of the land of the Chaldeans and dwelt in Haran. And from there, when his father was dead, He moved him to this land in which you now dwell. And God gave him no inheritance in it, not even enough to set his foot on. But even when Abraham had no child, He promised to give it to him for a possession, and to his descendants after him.

Acts 7:1-5

Nothing but a promise. Those were the words that went through my head as I read these verses yesterday morning –especially verse 5. God called Abraham to leave everything and follow him. Abraham obeyed. Even then, God didn’t give an inheritance. No land. No possessions. “Not even enough to set his foot on.” Nothing. But God did give a promise. A promise that Abraham’s descendants would receive the blessing.

I’ve always loved the faith of Abraham. But this retelling of his story by Stephen really resonated with me at this point in my life. I feel like I’ve left my country and relatives to come to the land God showed me. But when I arrived, there was no inheritance. No fruition of my plans. No job. It feels like, for all I came for, I have nothing. Not even enough to set my foot on. No tangible “proof” to affirm my decision to come here. But I do have a promise. A promise that the Lord, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, is working for my good. (Romans 8:28) A promise that He knows the plans He has for me, plans to give me a future and a hope. (Jeremiah 29:11) A promise that He delights to give me the kingdom. (Luke 12:32) Actually, I have 100 promises. 200 promises. Enough promises to fill my cup and overflow.

The question I have to ask myself is if that is enough. The TRUTH is that it is more than enough. It was enough for Abraham. He didn’t even have a child when God made a promise to His descendants. How easy is it to believe a promise based on something that was nonexistent? Bottom line: Abraham gave up everything, had nothing, and God’s promise was all he needed.

No matter what I feel, I cannot escape that truth. I have much. My cup overflows with the goodness of the promises of God. And more than that, I have the Promise who came in the Flesh. I have Jesus. And I have the Promise indwelling. I have the Holy Spirit.

I’ve grown to love the old spiritual “Give Me Jesus.” Imagine the life of an American slave. They go to bed from a long day of sweat and toil in the stifling heat. Sometimes they’re beaten and bloody. Sometimes they’ve seen a family member sold. Never to be seen again. Yet those whose God is the Lord would fall asleep singing, “In the morning, when I rise, give me Jesus. You can have all this world, but give me Jesus.” In the morning, when I rise to return to the sweat and the toil, and the heat and the whip, and the pain and the loss, give me Jesus. He’s what I need. He’s all I need. That’s what they said. They believed it facing the trials of every day. They believed it facing the loneliness of separation. They believed it facing death. Nothing but a promise. But that’s all they needed.

Across the ages, from Genesis to now, many have followed the Lord when they had nothing but a promise. Consider for a moment that not one child of God has been abandoned. The faithfulness of God is great and immutable. We need not doubt it.

Dear brother or sister, you may have nothing. Not even enough to set your foot on. But you have a promise. A host of promises. Believe them. You have Jesus. He’s all you need.