Promises, Promises

I have placed my rainbow in the clouds. It is the sign of my covenant with you and with all the earth.

Genesis 9:13

 As a child, when I was asked if I promised to do something I didn't want to do, I would put my hands in my pockets and cross my fingers.  In my young mind, having my fingers crossed when making a promise meant the promise didn't count.  As I got older, I stopped crossing my fingers when I made a promise I didn't want to keep, I just broke my promise. 

How many times have we broken our promises?  We don't always say "I promise" when we say we will do something, but when we say we will...it's a promise. And here's the flip-side of that, we are very quick to point out when someone breaks THEIR word to us, aren't we?

God promised Noah and the rest of the generations that followed, that the Earth would never again be destroyed by a global flood.  And to remind us of His promise, God put a rainbow in the sky when it rains.  We expect God to keep His promises...right?  Do you think God expects us to keep OUR promises?

Think about it...God never promised us a live of ease, comfort, and convenience.  He DID promise that He will forever be with us, love us, and take care of us.  God never promised that everyone would like us and shower us with gifts to show their appreciation of us, but He did promise us that WHEN we give Him the situation He would give us indescribable peace and a resolution we that might even surprise us.

I've been told that it is a good idea to remind God of His promises when we talk with Him.  Why?  Doesn't God remember His own promises?  Yep!  It's to remind US of His promises!