A Promise & A Plan

Scripture: Hebrews 6:13-14

For when God made the promise to Abraham, since He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, saying, " I WILL SURELY BLESS YOU AND I WILL SURELY MULTIPLY YOU."

God made a rock solid promise to Abraham about how He would bless him, and multiply him, based on God swearing by Himself; because there was no one greated to swear by. God was and is, the ultimate promise keeper, and He is faithful to His Word. Even though Sarai the wife of Abram was barren at the time that the promise of God was made, Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.

This is when God changed his name from Abram to Abraham and changed Sarai's name to Sarah. The meaning of the name Abraham means father of many nations, and the meaning of Sarah; means noble woman, mother of nation. God also told Abraham when the promise of his son, "Isaac," would manifest, within one year from the date that God had spoken the promise, Sarah would give birth to the promised son at the age of 91. Abraham would be 100. But regardless of how the outer appearance appeared to Abraham, he believed the promise of God, and one year later the manifestation of his belief, appeared in the flesh (Genesis, ch. 17)

No matter how impossible a situation appears, no matter how dim the light seems to be; God is faithful. If He makes a promise to us, He will keep it. There is no reason to doubt what God has said, because He makes promises to His children according to who He is. God is not a man that He should lie, nor can He lie. For He is truth, and there is no lie in Him.

Therefore, if God has spoken  a promise to you, you can believe that He will manifest the promise that He has made, in the flesh. Before you know it, God will bring into vision the promise that He has made to you. Believe God as Abraham did when he began calling his wife; noble woman and mother of nation. He did not look at what appeared to be an impossibility because of the age of his wife, or his own age. He believed the undisputable Word of God. Abraham verbally professed his faith in God; and God blessed Him, and God blessed His wife (Genesis, ch. 17).

Reflection:
God did not look at the prior sins of Abram and Sarai stepping outside of His will, and having a son they named "Ishmael", from a woman named Hagar, who was Sarah's servant.

Even though this was not in God's original plan, He still blessed above and beyond what Abram and Sarai thought was possible, because of the faith of Abraham to believe God for what appeared to be impossible.

God would then use the faith of Abraham to redeem man back to Himself, through the promised son, "Isaac." The promise was  not just for Abraham and Sarah, the promise was for the redeemption of the human race back to the Father.

• What promise(s) has God made to you?
• What appears to be impossible?
• How can you express your faith in the promise(s) of God? 

Prayer:
Father God, I thank you, for being a God of your Word, and that each promise that you have made to me is a promise that cannot be reversed, because your promises are based on your Word that never changes. I give you glory, and I give you praise, for manifesting the promises that you have spoken over my life.

I thank you, that you would not give me a promise, that would not be manifested in the flesh; as a witness of the fulfilling of the promise. I also thank you for using my life to birth out a promise that is in line with your plan for mankind. In Jesus name, I pray. Amen.

Strong's Concordance Definitions:

Hebrews 6:13

God: 2316
1) a god or goddess, a general name of deities or divinities

2) the Godhead, trinity
a) God the Father, the first person in the trinity
b) Christ, the second person of the trinity
c) Holy Spirit, the third person in the trinity

3) spoken of the only and true God
a) refers to the things of God
b) his counsels, interests, things due to him

4) whatever can in any respect be likened unto God, or resemble him in any way
a) God's representative or viceregent
1) of magistrates and judges

Promise: 1861
1) to announce that one is about to do or furnish something

a) to promise (of one's own accord) to engage voluntarily
2) to profess
a) an art, to profess one's skill in something

Abraham: 11
Abraham = "father of a multitude"

He could: 2192
1) to have, i.e. to hold

a) to have (hold) in the hand, in the sense of wearing, to have (hold) possession of the mind (refers to alarm, agitating emotions, etc.), to hold fast keep, to have or comprise or involve, to regard or consider or hold as
2) to have i.e. own, possess
a) external things such as pertain to property or riches or furniture or utensils or goods or food etc.
b) used of those joined to any one by the bonds of natural blood or marriage or friendship or duty or law etc, of attendance or companionship
3) to hold one's self or find one's self so and so, to be in such or such a condition
4) to hold one's self to a thing, to lay hold of a thing, to adhere or cling to
a) to be closely joined to a person or a thing

Swear: 3660
1) to swear
2) to affirm, promise, threaten, with an oath
3) in swearing to call a person or thing as witness, to invoke, swear by

Greater: 3172
1) great
a) of the external form or sensible appearance of things (or of persons)
1) in particular, of space and its dimensions, as respects
a) mass and weight: great
b) compass and extent: large, spacious
c) measure and height: long
d) stature and age: great, old

b) of number and quantity: numerous, large, abundant
c) of age: the elder
d) used of intensity and its degrees: with great effort, of the affections and emotions of the mind, of natural events powerfully affecting the senses: violent, mighty, strong

2) predicated of rank, as belonging to
a) persons, eminent for ability, virtue, authority, power
b) things esteemed highly for their importance: of great moment, of great weight, importance
c) a thing to be highly esteemed for its excellence: excellent

3) splendid, prepared on a grand scale, stately
4) great things
a) of God's preeminent blessings
b) of things which overstep the province of a created being, proud (presumptuous) things, full of arrogance, derogatory to the majesty of God

Himself: 1438
1) himself, herself, itself, themselves

Hebrews 6:14

Saying: 3004
1) to say, to speak

a) affirm over, maintain
b) to teach
c) to exhort, advise, to command, direct
d) to point out with words, intend, mean, mean to say
e) to call by name, to call, name
f) to speak out, speak of, mention

I will surely: 3375
1) verily, certainly, truly

Bless: 2127
1) to praise, celebrate with praises

2) to invoke blessings
3) to consecrate a thing with solemn prayers
a) to ask God's blessing on a thing
b) pray God to bless it to one's use
c) pronounce a consecratory blessing on

4) of God
a) to cause to prosper, to make happy, to bestow blessings on
b) favoured of God, blessed

I will surely multiply you: 4129
1) to increase, to multiply

a) to be increased, (be multiplied) multiply
2) to be increased, to multiply
 
References:

Blue Letter Bible. "Book of Beginnings - Genesis 17 - (NASB - New American Standard Bible)." Blue Letter Bible. 1996-2009. 12 Dec 2009. < http://www.blueletterbible.org/Bible.cfm?b=Gen&c=17&t=NASB >

Higgins, S. (2009). A Promise & A Plan. Devotions for Thought. Higgins Publishing, http://www.higginspublishing.com, http://www.devotionsforthought.blogspot.com