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I thought to myself, “Oh! It’s spring!” The fuschias, yellows, and rich greens surrounding my car on the backroads near our house caught me off guard.
Why? Although it frequently makes a brief, deceptive appearance before its official arrival, spring faithfully comes every year. I expect spring’s entrance, but I am always pleasantly surprised by the occasion.
Why do I find this mundane event so pleasurable? After enduring too many days of cold, is the anticipation of spring’s promise part of its pleasure?
As believers, God is our ultimate source of joy. We delight His presence, but we may find joy in His future works as well. Similar to our pleasant anticipation of spring, our steadfast hope in his faithfulness, that He will be good tomorrow and will keep his promises, should be a sustaining fountain of joy. (Proverbs 10:28; Psalm 27:13-14)
Obedience Due to Faith in God’s Promises
God called Abraham to leave his nation with the promise that God would create a new nation from whom all other nations are blessed (Genesis 12:1-3). Hebrews 11 describes Abraham’s faithful obedience to God’s calling.
Why was Abraham obedient? Hebrews 11:10 says, “For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.” Abraham looked forward to the perfect fulfillment of God’s plan. He believed God’s words would actually come true.
Do you truly believe in God’s promises? Like your trust in spring’s faithful emergence, do you know in your heart that tomorrow God’s mercies will continue, that you will find life-giving manna outside of your door, and that God will sustain you to the end?
To measure whether or not you believe God’s promises, honestly look at your obedience to God’s word. Trust in God’s promises results in radical, selfless obedience to His commands (James 2:17). If you trust that the faithful God who knows you intimately wants the best for you, then you will do what He asks (John 14:15).
The Christian who, through the Holy Spirit, is seeking holy, Christ-like set-apartness while trusting in God’s future goodness, is the one who is truly happy.
How to Trust in God’s Promises
If you are unable to trust that God will continue His good plans for you tomorrow, think about what He did yesterday. God commanded the Israelites (Exodus 16:32) to remember God’s deeds so they would faithfully follow Him. In the same way, consider your own story. God took you, an enemy of His goodness, and made a way to atone for you. Remember His promises of unending love. You know that spring will eventually come because it has done so every year. God also continually proved Himself to you in the past. Through His Spirit, you can trust that He will do the same tomorrow.
Like Abraham, let others see us as obedient, forward-looking people. Remember God’s faithfulness to His word in the past and obey His commands for today. You can now face tomorrow with joyful anticipation in the fulfillment of God’s promises.
“Wrong will be right, when Aslan comes in sight, At the sound of his roar, sorrows will be no more, When he bares his teeth, winter meets its death, And when he shakes his mane, we shall have spring again.”
