The promises of God for His children are a great source of encouragement and strength for the believer. All of them.
From His promises that His love endures forever (Psalm 136), that His mercy will be extended to all who repent (Psalm 86:5, 1 John 1:9), that He will never leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5), to the promises that the wicked will perish (Psalm 37:20), or that His Word is like a sword for us to do battle in this world (Ephesians 6:17).
The promise that seems to get quoted most frequently is Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”
There are so many more promises from God that we cannot possibly look at all of them. What seems worthy of note though, is that these promises do not come without any conditions or requirements. The most obvious one above is the condition of repentance for sin before we can know salvation and forgiveness. Once we belong to the Lord it will show by our desire to obey His laws but no one will ever do that perfectly in this life.
God promises that the wicked will perish. He is also very clear that a repentant wicked person can be saved from his wickedness. The truth of this promise is good for the righteous person. God tells us not to take vengeance on those who wrong us (Leviticus 19:18). We can know that if they require it, He will deliver it (Romans 12:19).
One that may be more difficult for some is God’s promise never to leave us nor forsake us. He says He will be our refuge and strength in times of trouble (Psalm 46:1). He promises to be our rescue and protection (Psalm 9:9-10). But, sometimes we face fears or doubts that He is not doing what He has promised. He “feels” far away.
In these cases, we can take some quick inventory to see what it is that is causing the “disconnect” we feel with God. The Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God (Ephesians 6:17) is our greatest diagnostic tool. Do we read the Bible regularly to be reminded of what God says? Do we know what it says about our situation and the conditions we need to keep to be in His will?
In Romans 8:29 we learn that God’s plan for His children is that we would be conformed to the image of His Son. Well, His Son did all that His Father gave Him to do. Are we in obedience to what God says is right for His people to do?
If we are not listening to God, obeying His Word, then we should know what that diagnostic tool says about our sin. Isaiah 59:2, “But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear.”
In the fear of man or doubt that God will truly keep His promises, we may fall short of doing the things that qualify us for the blessings of God; namely obeying His Word. Obedience brings blessings and disobedience brings curses (Deuteronomy 28) are truths of scripture that have not been overturned, nor has God changed His mind.
Sometimes difficult times come as a test of our faith (James 1:2-3), not because of disobedience to God’s Word. His promises stand even then, as He increases our patience and our trust in those promises.
So, we can stand on the promises of God (as we should) but still miss the blessings of full obedience if we fail to live according to His law.