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God’s Gifts

by | Jan 17, 2025 | Blessings, God's Gifts, Promises, Provision

God’s promises. We know from the Bible that God keeps ALL His promises: “The LORD always keeps his promises; he is gracious in all he does” (Ps. 145:13 NLT). But what happens when it appears He is keeping His promise, and then it all crumbles?

You know what I mean. The Bible promises that God heals. You put your faith in this promise for healing from chronic pain, and you have a day where you don’t hurt. But the pain returns full force the following day. Or maybe you’ve been praying for your child to turn away from wrong friends, and he does! Only to get in with an even worse crowd. Or maybe you are claiming God’s promise of provision, and you are offered a job! Only to lose it a week later due to lack of funding…

I could go on, but you get the idea. Why would God promise something and then go back on His word? And the whole thing plummets you into discouragement and frustration; and sometimes into anger at God Himself!

Wait. Is He really going back on His word? What if the pain free day isn’t the fulfillment of God’s promise? What if your child turning away from his very wrong friends isn’t the overall fulfillment of the promise? What if the job you were offered isn’t how God has chosen to be your provision?

That is easy enough to accept, but why would God allow the pain-free day? Why would He give you a job? Why would He break off the friendship between your child and the bad bunch of kids? Isn’t this nothing more than a tease?

We are the recipients of a promise: My husband’s healing of dementia. Yet here we are, more than 7 years later, and his condition continues to plummet. God didn’t just give us the promise once, however. If He had, we would simply have convinced ourselves that we had heard wrong. Rather, He has confirmed the promise from all sides. Last year, under God’s direction, we began a season of fasting and prayer for his healing. Immediately we began seeing positive changes in various areas; but invariably those positive changes were never seen again. I decided I wasn’t going at it with enough evidence of faith so I purposefully took steps of faith. I cut down on his medication. Again, initially there were positive results; and then crash. All the old behaviours returned 10-fold. Plus a notable new one: Suddenly he couldn’t find the toilet any longer. After 5 consecutive days of having to deal with this, the fast and prayer group began to fervently pray against this particular problem. We praised God when the problem just … stopped! But would it stay stopped? Or was it like all the other improvements we had seen, and be only temporary? And sure enough, after 5 peaceful days, the problem returned, worse than ever.

Why, God? Are You just teasing me? If so, it is a cruel joke!

God actually doesn’t mind when we address Him with these questions. He much prefers that we bring our doubts and questions to Him! Nonetheless, He didn’t answer me immediately. And the problems remained.

Then one day God put it on my heart to put a motion detector on the bathroom light switch. That way he would always have light in the bathroom. That very same day, Rob would report that “someone” took him by the hand, led him into the bathroom, and “showed” him where the toilet was. He has hallucinations. Was this just some hallucination? Or was it God’s angel preparing the way for his healing from the toileting issues?

We then had three full days of no toileting issues. I was grateful, but I admit, I was living on the edge of my seat, so to speak, waiting for the proverbial next shoe to drop…

I was out for a walk when God gave me the following message, and it has been a game changer. I only pray it will be for you as well!

As I was praying and trying to find meaning in why God’s promised miracles didn’t “stick”, trying to incorporate this with what I knew of God’s love, I heard the following in my mind: “The improvements aren’t the fulfillment of the promise. They are simply a gift! Something to help you out while you wait!”

Wait. Doesn’t that sound a bit like James 1:17? “Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father…” (NLT)?

And with that my discouragement turned to praise as I began to thank God for each of those – often single time – gifts He had been giving us. Suddenly it was a lot easier to believe in the promise! After all, “So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him.” (Matthew 7:11 NLT). Maybe the time isn’t yet right for the promise to be fulfilled, but God is there dishing out gifts – things that will make our lives easier, even for a brief moment — in the interim!

Whatever it is you are going through, seek out and praise God for even the tiniest bit of movement in the right direction – Especially if it doesn’t last! Understand that each positive thing is simply a gift – something to tide you over – until the promised miracle is fulfilled!

In His love,
Lyn


Lynona Gordon Chaffart
Author, Moderator, Acting Direction, Answers2Prayer Ministries

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