The Promise Keeper

Psalm 77:1-9

We’ve all known a Promise-Maker. It’s been said, “A man apt to promise is apt to forget.” We’ve all known a promise maker...some who kept their promise and some we remember because they didn’t. “We learn to be skeptical about promises made by folks who are either in love, drunk, or running for office.” (Shirley McClain) Those folks will promise you anything under the sun...to get your love or your vote, and some won’t remember it the next day.
Thankfully my life has been impacted by promise-makers. My parents promised to stay married till death. They promised to love each other in sickness and health and riches and poverty and in good and bad. They did just that for 51 years.
I was raised in a community where a promise and a handshake meant something. We never locked our doors...we never locked our cars and we even left the keys in the ignition. No one ever stole our cars – broke into our home – or took anything that didn’t belong to them. Why is that? Not too long ago people actually respected other people and believed God...and were marked as being “as good as their word.” Those were good days.

We’ve all known a Promise-Breaker. What is it that makes a promise-maker a promise-breaker? Maybe they’ve been the recipient of a broken promise. Maybe their dad was a promise-breaker. Maybe their boss is a promise-breaker. Or, maybe they just don’t mean what they say. Bill Cosbe said, “The very first law in advertising is to avoid the concrete promise and cultivate the delightfully vague.” And maybe one of the defining characteristics of people today is that we are vague...we won’t commit to much...won’t promise to do much...and won’t decide one way or another for sure. We are vaguely uncommitted and undecided.
Has your boss promised you a promotion but it never happened? Has your husband or wife made promises they’ve never kept? Have you been influenced by an environment of un-kept promises? - We’re all prone to be a promise-breaker. It goes all the way back to 3rd grade when we asked our neighbor if we could borrow a pencil...as in, “I will give it back” ...and as we got older we asked if we could borrow $5 and promised to pay it back.
....Here’s the one thing you can do – Break the habit of being a promise-breaker.

We can all know the Promise-Keeper. That’s the Lord. He is the original promise-maker and promise-keeper. ....Think about that. God has never made a promise that He cannot keep. God keeps His promises as He chooses, as He pleases, in His own time. And, He’s never late.
Think about these promises...
The promise of God's protection - "I am your shield" (Gen. 15:1)
The promise of God's power - "I will strengthen you" (Isa. 41:10)
The promise of God's provision - "I will help you" (Isa. 41:10)
The promise of rest - "Come unto Me....and I will give you rest" (Matt. 11:28)
The promise of forgiveness - "He is faithful and just to forgive our sins...” (1 John 1:9)

Remember these words from the great old hymn Standing On the Promises?.....
“Standing on the promises of Christ my King. Through eternal ages let his praises ring. Glory in the highest, I will shout and sing.
Standing on the promises of God.
...Standing, standing, standing on the promises of Christ my Savior;
Standing, standing, I'm standing on the promises of God.
....Standing on the promises that cannot fail.
When the howling storms of doubt and fear assail.
By the living Word of God I shall prevail.
Standing on the promises of God.

Psalm 77:1-9....
1- The Psalmist Cried out and Complained. v1-6 The Psalmist cried all night for God to hear him. It’s as if God didn’t hear his prayer. Seems like when victory is closest, the Devil works his hardest. Like the darkest hour is just before dawn...the darkest day in your life may be the last day you’ll be in the dark. It is not a sin to cry out and to make your complaints known to God. It is a sin to stop trusting Him.
2- The Psalmist was Troubled and Tempted. v7-9 The Psalmist felt like he had been abandoned by the LORD. He wondered if God had cast off His people. God had not answered their prayers, which greatly troubled his heart. The Devil knows when to pour salt into an open wound. At just the point we get a glimmer of hope he comes in with temptations to doubt the promises of the Lord.
3- The Psalmist Remembered and Rejoiced. v10-15 He remembered God's miracles. When he did he was filled with praise. He is the God who does wonders. He is the God who redeems. The God who saves. In the midst of fears and doubts and heartache...it’s not always easy to remember God. The pain drowns out the voice of God. But if you can be still and know He is God...you will remember His goodness. He has done and will do...Wonders.