God Will Do What He Says - The Crosswalk Devotional - June 2
God Will Do What He Says
By: Whitney Hopler
Bible Reading:
“... What I have said, that I will bring about; what I have planned, that I will do.” – Isaiah 46:11, NIV
Years ago, I faced a lot of competition for a particular job I wanted. It was so competitive that I wondered whether or not I should even try. But after I prayed about whether I should go for it, I got a strong sense of peace and confidence about doing so. It was a long process! I had to develop a complex creative presentation and go through several interviews with various groups of people. Along the way, I doubted whether or not I could really get the job. I put myself through a lot of unnecessary stress worrying about the outcome. Finally, though, I turned my worries into prayers. After praying regularly about the job, I sensed that God would make a way for me to get it. Sure enough, God did open the door to that job for me. If I had trusted that God would bring that about after I’d prayed the first time, I would have saved myself all that stress I didn’t actually have to go through while waiting.
In Isaiah 46:11, God assures us that he really will do what he says he’ll do in our lives.
If God has spoken a truth over your life – such as that he loves you, that he’ll never leave you, or that he’ll meet all of your needs – you can really count on God doing that. It’s something you can be sure God will do! If God planned it, he is currently doing the work behind the scenes to make it happen. Just because you can’t see the result yet, because it’s not yet God’s timing for it to happen, doesn’t mean God has abandoned his work on it for you.
This verse has real authority behind it. God tells us clearly that he will bring about what he says and that he will do what he has planned. The focus is entirely on God’s power, and God has unlimited power to do whatever he chooses to do. We never have to worry that God won’t be able to keep his promises to us. No matter what, God always keeps his promises.
We can also be sure that none of our mistakes will ruin God’s work in our lives. God tells us in Romans 8:28 that all things will work together for our good. God can take all of our broken pieces and incorporate them into the plans he established for us before we were even born. No matter what, God will continue to work to accomplish good purposes for our lives.
Jesus is the ultimate proof that what God says in Isaiah 46:11 is true. Thousands of years before Jesus was born, God said he would send a Savior. But as people waited for that to happen, generation after generation passed. People started to doubt that God would really do what he said he would do.
At just the right time, though, God brought about just what he had planned and said he would do. Jesus came to Earth at exactly the best time in history to save our world from sin. Since God was faithful to fulfill the massive promise of sending us a Savior, you can trust God to fulfill the promises he has made to you personally. You can stop exhausting yourself trying to force doors open or worrying that you’ve been forgotten. You can breathe.
God always tells the truth. If God said it, it’s coming. If he planned it, it’s happening. Your job isn’t to make it happen; your job is to trust the One who is already doing it.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
As you consider how you can trust God to do what he says he will do, reflect on these questions:
- What’s one promise you’re currently waiting for God to fulfill?
- In what ways are you currently tempted to doubt God’s promises while you wait, and how can you remind yourself of God’s faithfulness regularly?
- Looking back, when has God brought about a plan in your life that you once thought was impossible?
- Are you exhausted from trying to force a result in your own strength rather than trusting God’s timing?
- When you think about how God always tells the truth and how he never fails, how does that change your level of peace?
Further Reading:
Numbers 23:19
Joshua 21:45
Philippians 1:6
Psalm 33:11
Hebrews 10:23
Join the conversation! Share how today’s devotional encouraged or challenged you in your walk with Christ.
Photo Credit: © Getty Images/Bychykhin_Olexandr
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