[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":70},["ShallowReactive",2],{"\u002Fdevotions\u002Fholding-onto-gods-promises":3},{"id":4,"title":5,"author":6,"body":7,"date":50,"description":51,"extension":52,"featured":53,"image":54,"meta":55,"navigation":56,"path":57,"scripture":58,"scriptureText":59,"seo":60,"stem":61,"tags":62,"__hash__":69},"devotions\u002Fdevotions\u002Fholding-onto-gods-promises.md","Holding Onto God's Promises","Christy Morrow",{"type":8,"value":9,"toc":44},"minimark",[10,14,17,20,25,28,31,35,38,41],[11,12,13],"p",{},"Wow, that's an image, right?! Before David became king, he had made a promise to Jonathan to take care of any relatives of his and Saul's. When he became king, he started fulfilling that promise. One of Jonathan's sons, Mephibosheth, was crippled and had lived in a very \"lowly\" place, Lo Debar. David wanted to restore his fortunes to him because of his promise to Jonathan. That's when he said, \"What is your servant, that you should notice a dead dog like me?\" He had a very low opinion of himself. But David showed kindness to him all the rest of Mephibosheth's life.",[11,15,16],{},"Paul says in Romans 7:24-25: \"What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?\" He was finishing up a section in Romans saying that as much as he wanted to do good, he would keep doing bad. He felt bad about it. You can sense his feeling of being miserable when he calls himself wretched! But then he goes on to say in verse 25: \"Thanks be to God-- through Jesus Christ our Lord!\"",[11,18,19],{},"Have you ever felt like a \"dead dog\" or a \"wretched man?\" You are in good company! We all have felt that way. In fact, David said in Psalm 51:3: \"For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.\" In other words, David always recalled his sin and it was always in his mind.",[21,22,24],"h2",{"id":23},"gods-proclamation","God's Proclamation",[11,26,27],{},"God wants to encourage us and also to encourage us to think differently. In fact in Isaiah 61:2a, he wants to \"proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.\" What does it mean to proclaim? When someone proclaims something in your life, they are calling something into you life that may not be there yet. For example, when the angel of the Lord came to Gideon, he said, \"The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.\" At the time, Gideon was anything but mighty! In fact, he was hiding out. The angel of the Lord called out what he saw in him--what he would become. Look back at Isaiah 61:2 when he proclaimed the year of the Lord's favor. Look at your life. Does that fit what you see in your life? If not, be encouraged that he is proclaiming that in your life--future tense.",[11,29,30],{},"God encourages us in Isaiah 61:7: \"Instead of their shame my people WILL RECEIVE a double portion, and instead of disgrace they WILL REJOICE in their inheritance; and so they WILL INHERIT a double portion in their land, and everlasting joy will be theirs.\" Have you ever felt shame or disgrace? God tells us that instead of shame or disgrace, we will receive a double portion, we will rejoice in our inheritance, we will receive a double portion in our land, and everlasting joy will be ours. God promises that we will receive good in this life...and in the next. Isn't that wonderful?",[21,32,34],{"id":33},"facing-reality-with-faith","Facing Reality with Faith",[11,36,37],{},"So, what does your life look like currently? Does it match up with the blessings that God proclaims to us? If not, don't fret. Look at people in the Bible. More often than not, their blessing(s) came after a while--sometimes a long while! BUT THEY CAME! In Romans 4, it says that Abraham believed God--\"the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were.\" He had to believe for a long time, despite his current circumstances.",[11,39,40],{},"This can be hard to be encouraged that things will be ok when our reality does not match what we are believing. We are encouraged in Philippians 4:8 to: \"Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.\" In other words, hold onto God's word. Hold onto God's promises. Let it strengthen your faith. As it says about Abraham in Romans 4:19-21: \"Without weakening in his faith, she faced the fact that his body was as good as dead--since he was about a hundred years old--and that Sarah's womb was also dead. YET HE DID NOT WAVER THROUGH UNBELIEF REGARDING THE PROMISE OF GOD, BUT WAS STRENGTHENED IN HIS FAITH and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.\"",[11,42,43],{},"You can face the facts of your life currently. But don't let it cause you to stop believing that God will follow through on his promises. Hold on to his word and promises! They WILL come to pass! Let that encourage you today!",{"title":45,"searchDepth":46,"depth":46,"links":47},"",2,[48,49],{"id":23,"depth":46,"text":24},{"id":33,"depth":46,"text":34},"2025-11-05","Have you ever felt like a \"dead dog\" or a \"wretched man?\" You are in good company! God wants to encourage us and proclaim his favor over our lives.","md",false,"\u002Fimages\u002Fblog\u002Fmagenta-tulip.jpg",{},true,"\u002Fdevotions\u002Fholding-onto-gods-promises","2 Samuel 9:8","What is your servant, that you should notice a dead dog like me?",{"title":5,"description":51},"devotions\u002Fholding-onto-gods-promises",[63,64,65,66,67,68],"promises","encouragement","faith","shame","double portion","hope","jKYD6VxvEbmq9JDeI0nTbtHWBOO1E8PmJqE05DpzRog",1782405175019]