In His Eternal Kingdom

August 29

"I’ll subdue all your enemies and make you great. As for a dynasty, the Lord will build one for you!" I Chronicles 17:10

The Bible is replete with promises, some of which are almost too good to hope for ourselves but this one certainly makes us anticipate the prospect of all our battles concluding in victory and our progeny going forth into future victories of their own.

Our challenges in life are indeed many and the prospect of future perplexities on this fallen planet seem to exacerbate as time marches forward, but although our ability to subdue those circumstances that beset us may be sorely pressed and although our hope for future generations may require us to see beyond the encroaching challenges it appears they will face, we know that ultimately we have a Savior who has promised, "I will never fail you nor forsake you."

In fact our God is so emphatic about that promise that He stated it in Deuteronomy 31:8 and repeated it again in Hebrews 13:5. Will He subdue our enemies expeditiously? The answer to that depends upon whether our perspective is temporal or eternal. The reality is that God is not always on our time schedule. Regarding God’s timetable, the following is worth noting:

The Israelites were in bondage in Egypt for 400 years before their release.
Joseph was in prison for 13 years before becoming Pharaoh's right-hand man.
Sampson had to wait for his hair to grow before vindicating himself against the Philistines.

But a further reality encompasses the scriptural admonition, "When you have done all, stand.," Ephesians 6:13. We can do only so much toward any given goal. We can assert only limited strength against the foes we face. Ultimately, "Our warfare is not against flesh and blood but against powers and spiritual wickedness in high places," Ephesians 6:12.

Our hope, therefore, is not in ourselves but in His promise to subdue our enemies and to make us great--and to make the same promise to our children. We must ever TRUST JESUS, FOR HE IS FAITHFUL! Trust Jesus because He loves us and it is His good pleasure to give us all things. The promise for "all things" will certainly be ours, if not here, in His eternal Kingdom. (See Luke 12:32.)