Imagine for a moment that many, many generations before you, it was foretold that something would happen through your lineage that would change humanity as we know it. Would you even know the family members’ names going back that far? Would you believe that it could even be true? One of the first thoughts that comes to my mind is, “Why me, why my family?”  

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Today’s Scripture is the covenant God made through the prophet Nathan of what God would do through David’s offspring. And spoiler alert – many generations later, Jesus is the fulfillment of that promise.

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But David wasn’t perfect, in fact, he was far from it, just like the rest of us. And yet, God made a covenant with him that was unconditional. God made a promise to do something big through David’s lineage. This wasn’t a deal that, if David’s offspring did the right things or didn’t do wrong, that God would reward them. This was a promise that through his descendants something would be built, an eternal throne would be established – a Savior would come.

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This promise didn’t simply come 2-3 generations later, though. It wasn’t until many generations down the line that we see it fulfilled. Matthew 1:17 counts the lineage from Abraham to Jesus: “All those listed above include fourteen generations from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the Babylonian exile, and fourteen from the Babylonian exile to the Messiah.” Can you imagine the faith required to maintain hope and trust that God would come through in a promise like that?  Waiting a few years or a lifetime seems long enough. Can you imagine waiting for generations?

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I’m not certain whether David fully grasped the magnitude of what God was going to do, but we do read later in this chapter that he asked the Lord, who am I that you would use me and my family in this way? Here is the reality: God works through his people, and he delights in it. That includes you and me. Make no mistake, he wants to change us for the better, yet we are still messy people, and by his mercy, love, and power, he still chooses to work in and through us in unimaginable ways.

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Now, I don’t know about you, but isn’t it exciting to know that through all that, God kept his covenant? Because God kept his promise then, he made a way to salvation through Jesus. You can rest assured that he keeps his promises, always.

What promise do you need to trust God in today?

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Lord, I’m so thankful that I can always trust you. I know I can be messy, broken, and even downright unreliable. Yet, You’re so good, loving, and merciful. I’m so grateful that you were faithful then, and you’re faithful now. Please help me trust you with everything. In Jesus’ name, Amen!