The day I purchased my new truck the key fell out of my pocket onto the front seat and I locked it inside.
So I called the 1-800 Roadside Assistance number I found in the phone book.
They sent someone right away, even though it was after normal business hours. I was impressed.
Made me think of God and His promises to be there with us and for us when the unexpected happens in life.
Take the promises in James chapter four, verses 7-10.
"So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw cloes to God, and God will draw close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, you hypocrites. Let there be tears for the wrong things you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy. When you bow down before the Lord and admit you dependence on him, he will lift you up and give you honor."
If my attitude toward God is right, if I draw close to him, and purify my heart, and express genuine sorrow for my sin, and admit my total dependence upon him, He has promised to draw close to me!
I’ve had a lot of "locked my keys in the car" situations in life. And when I looked in the book and called on Him the way the Bible said I should, I have always found Him true to His word. He’s there immediately.
If I draw close to Him, He draws close to me!
When I locked the keys in my truck I could have tried getting a clothes hanger or some other piece of metal and fumbled through the awkward process of trying to bend and finagle it into place to retrieve my keys or unlock the door, but my guess is I would have scratched metal and ripped vinyl in the process.
That’s why James tells us to humble ourselves and admit our sin - why he tells us to draw near to God - because, when we face life’s difficulties our attempts to solve the problems often only tend to make things worse.
We need to admit our need for God. When we do He has promised to come to our assistance.
Then there’s the promise in Jeremiah that has been so well-loved by God’s people.
In Jeremiah 33:3 (Msg), God says, "Call to me and I will answer you. I’ll tell you marvelous and wondrous things that you could never figure out on your own."
God is the first GPS. GPS stands for "Global Positioning System." It allows you to tell where you are. With it you’re never lost.
God says, "If you are lost, call to me and I will answer you." And not only will He answer, He’ll help us figure out those quandries in life we could never figure out on our own.
What do you need to figure out in your life right now?
Are you lost in your relationships? Your finances? Your career? Has raising children become overwhelming?
Call on God! He’ll tell you "marvelous and wondrous things that you could never figure out on your own!" He’ll lead you to answers to your problems that will leave you astounded. You will stand in awe of His wisdom and provision if you will call on Him!
God’s promises are not only very wonderful and very powerful - they’re also very personal.
Consider Isaiah 42:16 (Msg):
"I’ll take the hand of those who don’t know the way, who can’t see where they’re going. I’ll be a personal guide to them, directing them through unknown country. I’ll be right there to show them what roads to take, make sure they don’t fall into the ditch. These are the things I’ll be doing for them - sticking with them, not leaving them for a minute."
Every one’s life has some "unknown country." We face situations all the time are are new to us. New roads present themselves in our lives. What road do we take?
God has promised to be with us to show us the way. He has promised to be a personal guide. He’ll take us by the hand. That reminds me of parents with young children. They take them by the hands when they cross a street or walk through a shopping mall - because the child is not big enough to comprehend all the danger.
So it is with our heavenly Father. We’re not big enough to see all the danger - or even all the opportunity - without a personal guide.
And then there’s the liberating promise made by Jesus Himself in John 8:31-32 (NLT):
Jesus said to the people who believe in Him, "You are truly my disciples if you keep my teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."
All our lives we fight the battle between lies and truth. Satan, the master liar, rules over an entire realm of misinformation. And when we are caught in this web of deceit we are in bondage. Only the truth will set us free - free from addictions, habits, attitudes - all forms of destructive behavior. Until we learn and apply the truth we will continue to be handcuffed and struggling with our chains.
To tie all of these promises together there is a premise: following our Heavenly Father in a devoted and attentive relationship.
James says we must "draw close to God, and God will draw close to you."
Jeremiah said God will tell us things we "could never figure out on our own."
God says through Isaiah that He will "take the hand of those who don’t know the way."
And Jesus says, "You are truly my disciples IF you keep obeying my teachings."
All of these promises are tied to our personal relationship with God.
If you don’t have a personal relationship with God you can have if you will only ask God for it.
If you do have one and if you are admitting your dependence upon Him and expressing your commitment to Him by following His teachings - then these promises are yours. You will be alone or without direction or assistance in life.
