How to Receive God’s Promises

Have you ever wondered why, despite God’s many promises, we sometimes do not experience them in our lives? What hinders us from receiving what He has already made available to us? Sometimes the issue is not that God has withheld His promises, but that fear, unbelief, pain, or our desire for control keeps our hearts from fully trusting Him. This is something I have had to learn personally.

GOD'S PROMISESGOD'S PLAN AND PURPOSEWHEN GOD SPEAKS

Mildred White

8/26/20265 min read

How to Receive God’s Promises

I have been posting Bible verses and encouraging words on Facebook for the I'm Set Apart page and writing devotionals and journals for about 11 months now, mostly about God’s promises to those who believe in Him—promises of His presence, peace, protection, and provision. I keep wondering, of all the people who saw the posts, how many were able to receive and live out God’s promises? I wonder if they actually believe the promises. And what do I think about His promises that I have been sharing? Do I believe in His provision, protection, and promise to give me peace?

Last week, I shared that I was struggling emotionally and having thoughts of insignificance and doubt. I wanted God to change my situation and get me out of this place, where I feel like an outsider. I struggled for a long time. I did not have peace. I had to battle feelings of inadequacy and doubt that He was with me. I felt depressed. I reasoned and complained to God. I did everything I could to try to get out of my situation, but for some reason, He made me stay. I couldn’t understand it.

I had no joy or peace; I was miserable, and I felt so defeated. It felt like I was fighting God and I was losing. I was “kicking against the goads,” which is an ancient idiom meaning to hurt yourself by fighting against a power that is stronger than you. I wasn’t willing or ready to let go of my own ambitions and my desire to escape. I was too busy carrying my pain to receive God’s blessings—His presence, His joy, and His peace. I knew He was telling me that He was working in me, but because it hurt, I didn’t want to go through it.

And who wants pain and suffering? Jesus Himself asked the Father if there was another way other than the cross and if the cup of suffering could be removed from Him. My suffering was minuscule in comparison to what Jesus had to go through. Yet Jesus subjected Himself to the Father’s will (Matthew 26:39–42).

Not until recently—when I laid down my pride, let go of my wants and control, and let Him take the wheel because His thoughts are higher than my thoughts and His ways are higher than my ways (Isaiah 55:8–9)—did my perspective change.

While I was creating the “God with Us” journal pages, I could feel the Lord tugging at my heart and the Spirit witnessing to me that God is truly with me. He knows my pain, but I must trust His process. If I let Him finish His work in me, my training will be complete (at least at this stage), and I will not lack anything.

Once I repented of my sin and submitted myself to the Lord, the depression went away, and I could feel joy again. I had an assurance that my heart was in the right place and that He was pleased with me. I finally received His promises, which had been available before, but I wasn’t ready for them.

It was pretty cool when the Lord confirmed this through two separate dreams. Just a few weeks ago, I dreamt that I was taking care of a baby. I don’t know whose baby it was, but I was responsible for taking care of her. Then, in another dream, I dreamt about water coming into our house and flooding our bedroom. No one was hurt, but we got soaked. From my research, both a baby and water in a dream could mean transformation, change, renewal, growth, a fresh start, and new beginnings.

Let us Trust God’s Process

God is working in us continuously to transform us into the image of His son, the Lord Jesus Christ to prepare us for His return. We are His bride, and we must all be ready.

Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. (Philippians 1:6)

God is working in our hearts, but He needs us to trust Him. He needs our participation.

His work is always good (Romans 8:28). Trials are not meant to destroy you but to strengthen you. He has a better You already planned out.

His work brings transformation. I was listening to Christine Caine’s sermon “Trust God’s Process.” Her message specifically spoke to those who, like me, “feel forgotten, frustrated, or stuck in a season of waiting.”

Christine said that one’s “character is forged in the crushing.” She also explained that God does not need time to prepare the future; He needs time to prepare you for the future. Here are some examples of how God is preparing and forging you:

The Purpose of Trials: The difficult boss, the painful relationship, the frustrating job, and the private temptations are all tools God uses to forge His character in you.
The Crushing Process: It is through seasons of pain, self-denial, and "crushing" that God squeezes "more of you out of you" so that "more of Him" can fill you.

We have a God who knows suffering. Hebrews 4:15 says, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin.”

Now I have firsthand experience of what Brother James meant when he said in James 1:2–8:

2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. 6 But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.

What are your struggles right now? Do you believe that God is with you even through trials? Can you feel God’s hand working in your life through pain? How can we pray for you?

Lord, I want to follow You. Forgive me if sometimes I doubt that Your plans for me are good. I surrender to Your will and Your ways. Everything that You are doing in my life is for my good, even when it hurts. Amen.