God is not to be understood; He is a mystery to the finite mind. He has, however, revealed bits of Himself to us so that we may know Him. What does it mean to know without understanding? What is true understanding? I love those light bulb moments when a thing suddenly “clicks,” when comprehension engages. What is it, exactly, that we comprehend? (I’m going to use the words “comprehend” and “understand” interchangeably because they hold the same meaning in my mind.) It’s possible that our understanding of a thing is actually the relation of it to our experience of what is similar, or, at least, what we feel is similar. This brings understanding into the realm of the subjective. If we are comprehending words and what they mean, what they stand for, in the context of our own experience or similar circumstance, our understanding of a certain concept or phenomena may (dare I say, will) differ from that of another. This is both beautiful and dangerous. It is beautiful because we can share our understanding with a friend who has a different understanding and so grow in comprehension together. There is so much to be gained from being open to a new and different perspective! It is dangerous in that truth can be reduced to the subjective, where everyone can have their own version of it and no one can say anything against it. This lowers truth into the natural realm where it is in our control, not where it belongs. It is also dangerous because it infuses our understanding into the truth, rather than infusing the truth into our understanding.
God has revealed parts of Himself through Scripture; we can learn of His Nature by studying the order and presence of Him in Creation; and we encounter different facets of His character and personality in every face we meet because we are all made in His image. I find the firmest truths about God to be found in Scripture, ageless and transcendent. I am suddenly being awakened in a new way to the idea of the promises of God. What is a promise? What do I comprehend as the meaning of a promise? Is a promise something specifically tagged at the end of a statement, or is it simply the words you speak?
Here, at the raising of these questions, lies the heart of my musing. I have such a passionate conviction that “your yes be yes and your no be no.” [Matthew 5:37, The Bible] People speak flippantly and make plans lightly and dishonor themselves and others by not being people of their word. I don’t think we are trained to recognize the power of words, but we all know the feelings of disappointment, frustration, anger, betrayal, disillusionment when someone doesn’t follow through on their word – whether they “promised” or not. It is out of my own convoluted sense of what promises are and what it means to keep ones’ word that I have never properly valued the promises God has spoken. I remember in my early teens being exposed to the idea that God made promises at all. I had never seen a list of them or seen the words, “I promise…” in Scripture and I was very confused. What is a promise?
Over the years, I’ve learned what others label as God’s promises, but it’s still never clicked. How are these statements promises, and how do they apply to my life? Meanwhile, God has been incessantly working to make me a woman of my word and I try so desperately to only speak what I truly feel and know, only make plans that I will commit and keep, and strive for an integrity of word that matches my deed.
There is my light bulb moment. That is where all the pieces came (are coming) together for me. God speaks truth and He acts truth. His statements are His promises. When He says, “I will never leave you nor forsake you,” He is speaking a truth and He is living that truth. Last January I began reading the Bible, from the beginning, with two close friends. One of them seized the revelation that we serve and love and follow today the same God of old, Whose Word we can trust and promises we can believe and Whose deed is good and worthy of praise. I have been encouraged at moments by this; our God is the God Who never changes. “The only consistent thing in my life is change,” my friend Deborah once told me. “The only thing that doesn’t change in my life is Christ.” We can count on Him absolutely. We need never doubt – He always follows through on His Word.
What is a promise? It is a telling of truth and a following through in deed. It is as simple and profound as being a man or woman of your word.
I now want to learn about God’s promises, because as I am encountering or reencountering various statements of God or Christ the Holy Spirit is awakening a new understanding in me! I am really comprehending the truth, the fact, of God’s Word. I am thrilled by promises I see spoken by YHWH in the Old Testament that are reiterated by Christ in the New Testament that I then realize are being fulfilled by the Spirit in the world, in my very life, today! It’s trippin me out! I feel so deeply grateful and blessed by the fact that I have come into a new level of understanding of my Abba, my Saviour, my Helper.
Now it’s up to me to live in this new comprehension and slowly apply it to how I think about or relate to God, and also how I will think about my own word as I relate to other people. I am also so joyful in the fact that no matter how old I grow, how studied I become, how knowledgeable and even comprehensive (in part) I am of God’s Word, I will forever be learning about Him and coming into deeper awareness and application of His infinite mystery.
andaubreywashername 