Take God At His Word

A few years before the Lord moved me and my husband to D.C., He gave me a passage in Genesis that spoke to every fiber of my being. The words jumped off the page, as if they were meant for me.

2 Timothy says that "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." (2 Timothy 3:16-17) God breathed is the Greek word theopneustos, which means inspired. Inspired means of extraordinary quality, as if arising from some external creative impulse or (of air or another substance) that is breathed in.  

That's why when we read our Bibles, when we're seeking for an answer or to hear God's voice, one passage might stand out to us and literally breathe life into our souls. It's a now-word from God, a word specifically meant for us in the very season that we are in at the present time.

But sometimes, sometimes, God gives us a verse or chapter that speaks prophetically to us. It hasn't happened yet, but for some reason the passage He gives us quickens our souls, and our hearts beat a little faster. It speaks to us in a divine way, and we know it's a promise from the Lord for our future.

It might be a promise for a child, for your career or position in life, for a spouse, or something very specific that God is building in you. Whatever that word is that quickens your heart and sits in your spirit, begin meditating on it!  

Has the Lord put a certain passage on your heart? Did you read something that still sits heavily in your soul today? Maybe you read it a few weeks ago, a few months ago, or even years ago, and it's still there. This word still sits in the depths of your heart. It hasn't happened yet, but you know that you know that the Lord spoke to you. If this is you, then believe HIM! Don't let discouragement or bitterness take root. Instead, bring any discouragement and sadness to the Lord and keep reminding Him, "You promised!"

I was in college when the Lord began to stir my heart to live somewhere other than in the Midwest. But college came and went and I was established in the suburbs of Minneapolis. I had a great job, amazing friends, and I loved my church community. I was definitely rooted...and yet, this feeling of moving away was still present.  

One afternoon I was fasting and praying and the Lord brought me to Genesis 12

Now the Lord had said to Abram:

“Get out of your country,

From your family

And from your father’s house,

To a land that I will show you...”

Except instead of Abram, I heard "Jessica." It was such a strong word that was meant particularly for me, and I was even living in my parents home at the time. I didn't understand what God was doing or what He was going to do, but I knew that God had directed me to this passage. I wrote the verses down and kept them in my Bible, meditating on them every few days. I trusted that somehow, someway, the Lord would bring it to pass.  

It was several years later that God moved me and my husband across the country. In what I can only describe to you as a God appointment, He caused my husband to get the job that would move us. I didn't have to manipulate the situation to get God to answer, I just wrote down the promise and trusted His timing. 

Has He breathed some part of scripture over you and you know, you know, that it was from Him? Maybe it's even been a few years, and it's hard to hold onto that promise.  

When the days stretch into months, which turn into years, it can be hard to trust that we really heard God's voice when the word we received isn't happening immediately.  

Abraham is a great example of a man who received a word from the Lord and then had to wait to see it come to pass. He waited 25 years to see the Lord fulfill His promise. Jacob waited 14 years to have Rachel. Moses spent 40 years in exile before he became God's prophet and led the Israelites out of captivity.

The best words from God take time to come to pass. I have learned that the greater the blessing from the Lord, the longer it takes to come about. And that is ok. I don't ever want to rush ahead of God's timing and forfeit the greater blessing He has in store for me.  

I wrote down Genesis 12:1-3 and kept them in my Bible. The Lord gave me those verses nearly 12 years ago. Many, many years have passed, and I continued to stand on the promise that the Lord would establish us in the land He would show to us.

We've lived in Virginia for 7 years, but we never felt truly established. We bounced around from apartments to townhouses, but every road leading to a home was blocked. I knew the Lord said He would bring us to a land He had in mind for us, but it just wasn't coming to pass. We felt like nomads.

A few months ago I heard a message that stuck with me. This person said to write the promise from God on a piece of paper and put it under your pillow. I was feeling pretty discouraged, because we had just had an entire year of setbacks and heartbreaks that prevented us from moving into a house. But something in me said, "do this thing."  

So, I wrote it down. I wrote down the promise that the Lord told us He would bless us and establish us. I put the paper under my pillow, and then I prayed. And I was honest with the Lord. I told Him my heart was heavy, my faith low, and I just said, "Jesus, be my faith for me when I am weak. Be my faith, and bring it to pass as You said you would."

We moved to Virginia in September 2015, and my husband started his new job on Rosh Hashanah 2015. It was the beginning of our new life outside of the Midwest. And the week of Rosh Hashanah this past September, 7 years after we moved to a new place, we saw a house that felt like it was divinely appointed for us.  

We started the necessary steps to move forward, and the Lord led us and guided us as we made the move to our new home. It's now December, and I'm writing this from our living room. No longer are we nomads, wandering from place to place. The Lord brought us to the land He promised to show to us, and we are now living in it.  

It's been years since the Lord whispered those verses into my soul and caused my heart to quicken. It's been 7 years to the very month since we have lived in this land without feeling settled. BUT, the Lord did it as He promised He would. He did it. He was the One who gave me that word, and He was the One to bring it to pass.

Beloved, what's your word? Do you have one from the Lord? If you have received a word or a specific Bible verse that sits heavily in your heart, write it down! Write down the promise, put it under your pillow, or hang it on your bathroom mirror. Remind the Lord that He promised this to you!

Of course the Lord knows what He promised to you, but you and me, we forget. We allow time to cause bitterness to take root, and we start to feel upset toward God because He hasn't brought about the promise we want in the time we want it. But God doesn't work on our time, He operates outside of time. When the Lord looks at us He sees our promise already fulfilled. He sees our entire life-span, so when He looks at our lives, He sees our promise already at hand.  

It was during the last 7 years that I began to see time the way the Lord sees it. I began to see my life with promises fulfilled and prayers answered. Even if a prayer hasn't been answered for me today, I now know that it will be in the future.  

If the Lord says it will come to pass, I believe Him. If the Lord gives a word that is for me and my future, I believe it will happen. Just because it hasn't happened today, doesn't mean it won't happen soon! It might not be this year, or even next year, but if God has given me a vision then He will be faithful to bring it about.  

We are so quick to let go of our trust and belief. But today, I want you to hold on to that now-word God gave you. Write it down and remind yourself every day that the Lord promised to bless you. If the Lord made a promise, He will be faithful to complete it! 

Today, choose to trust Him. Choose to believe in Him. If you struggle to believe, then ask the Lord to give you the faith of Jesus. His faith is perfect. His belief is unwavering. Ask the Lord for Jesus' faith to be your faith, for Jesus' believing heart to cover your wavering one. The most wonderful thing we can do is to trust Jesus to be everything that we lack.

And declare today that the Lord who gave you the promise, will be the same Lord who fulfills it. Amen!

Lord God, there is a promise that You gave me.

You promised (name the thing 

He promised to you)

Just as You said it, I believe it will come to pass.

Even if years go by, 

I will trust that You will do it as You said 

You would.

Father, I look to Jesus to be my faith.

Give me Jesus' unwavering trust and belief.

Lord, I pray the blood of Jesus over my promise.

Today I declare that You hear me, 

and You will answer me.

Amen