Does God Always Keep His Promises?

Tricky Promises

In my early twenties, I needed to move and felt that God led me to a new teaching position in a small private school. Little did I know that in this school, the board was busy fighting with the administration. I ended up being collateral damage in their political games.

How could this happen? Proverbs 3:6 is one of my favourite Bible promises, and it says, “Remember the Lord in everything you do, and he will show you the right way.” (GNT)

How was this job the right way?

My health was damaged, my bank account was empty, and my career track record was marred.

So, does God truly keep all His promises, all of the time? 

We want our kids to answer, “Yes!” but are you convinced?

It’s a big subject to tackle, especially when we’re talking to our kids.

It’s easy to say, "Yes, God keeps His promises," when you read a promise like this:

Give thanks to the Lord, because he is good; his love is eternal. – Psalm 136:1 (GNT)

Yes, God’s love lasts forever! 

Here is another straightforward one to teach kids:

God is our shelter and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. – Psalm 46:1 (GNT)

Yes, even when we have hard times, God can help us. 

Now, let’s step it up a level. What about this promise?

Seek your happiness in the Lord, and he will give you your heart's desire. – Psalm 37:4 (GNT)

It doesn’t take much for a kid to realize that not everything they want and pray for magically appears.

What do you think kids might think about this famous one?

His angel guards those who honor the Lord and rescues them from danger. – Psalm 34:7 (GNT)

Kids are smart. One day, they will suddenly realize that not everyone who loves God gets rescued. Bad things happen to good people. “Why didn’t God’s angel rescue that person?” they might wonder.

So, how can we convince kids that God truly keeps all His promises, all the time?

Start explaining context! Not college-level context, but the “whole-story” context.

It’s nice to hear that the Lord will give you the desires of your heart, but what does the first half of the verse mean? If you really are happy focusing on becoming a friend of God, He will make sure that you get more of that. In this case, God is your heart’s desire (not the newest gaming system)!

It’s nice to hear that God’s angel rescues you from danger, but what is the whole story of Psalm 34? David is running scared, and yet he chooses to rely on God and trust Him.

Bad things still happened to David, because the earth is filled with sin, yet David was rescued from fear and uncertainty (verse 4). Even if a Christian isn’t rescued from cancer or a car accident, they can be rescued from fear because they have the certainty of eternal life.

Most likely you will discover a promise that you can’t explain right off the top of your head – and that’s OK!

Don’t try to bluff; instead, try saying, “I’m not sure, but let’s find out!”

In fact, in some cases, it may take a really long time to figure out. My terrible job in relation to Proverbs 3:6 took me several years to understand. Yes, it actually had been the right path because it taught me more in three months than I could have learned in three years; especially the meaning of Matthew 10:16. “Listen! I am sending you out just like sheep to a pack of wolves. You must be as cautious as snakes and as gentle as doves.” (GNT)

Life isn’t about knowing all the answers; it’s about walking the path of discovery together.