This evening, guest speaker Joy Gascoigne spoke about holding on to the promises of God. She spoke about her friend, Barbara, who as a child was left in the unenviable position of having to look after her brother when her mother was taken into hospital. She was invited to church and went because she had aspirations to be a singer; there, she found not only solace but practical help. One night before Christmas, she prayed that if God loved her, He would give her the presents she so desired but knew she could never have because of her family circumstances. The next day, there was a knock on her door and three girls from her church brought her the presents she had asked God for. This evidence of God’s reality and faithfulness led her to Christ and she remained His servant all her life.
What God did for Barbara, He can do for each one of us. We need to take hold of His promises and believe His word. His word is living and active (Heb 4:12), God-breathed (2 Tim 3:16) and shows us where we go wrong and how to do right.
Taking hold of God’s promises will involve prayer; like the apostles in Acts, we need to be devoted to prayer and to pray continually until we see the breakthrough for which we long. We must prepare for God to do amazing things, which may well mean being generous in our giving, not focussing on ourselves like the rich fool but trusting God to provide for us. God can work through unlikely people in unlikely ways, changing hearts and attitudes as He brings about all that He has promised.