For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it. (ESV)

We’re a couple of weeks out from Easter, and I’m still reeling from all that God did. I’m thinking of the young man who came out at the end of one service wanting to be baptized – his is a story of self-harm that he was afraid might be seen. I think of the gentleman whom I called late Saturday evening who wanted to get baptized early Sunday morning because he had rededicated his life to Jesus and had been baptized as an infant. And then his wife, whom I talked to right after with the same desire. I think of the young couple that was baptized together who had invited a friend who doesn’t know Jesus to celebrate with them.  

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These are all examples of seeds being planted. I don’t know the prologue of any of these stories, but I have a good imagination. Maybe the young man had been lied to over and over again about how unworthy he is – that he was worth nothing more than a piece of meat he could cut up, just to feel something. Maybe the first husband and wife had been fighting and near an end to their marriage when God stepped in to restore and redeem their family. And maybe that unbelieving friend can’t stop thinking about the joy and hope they felt in that room when their good friends were baptized and celebrated.  

I don’t know how these stories began or how they will end, but I do know one thing – God’s word will NOT return void! “And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us” (1 John 5:14). I know it is God’s will for that young man to know his worth in Christ, so when we pray for him to be protected from the enemy and for an end to his history of self-harm, God hears us.  

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For the couple on the brink of separation, God promises, “We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life” (Rom. 6:4). They can now pursue healing with confident hope in God’s restoration.  

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And for the unbelieving friend, “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance” (2 Pet. 3:9). God will not give up on those who don’t know him – he loves us too much.  

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These are promises of God, and I’ve seen so many of them fulfilled that I believe that they will be fulfilled in the above stories, as well. But what if you don’t have that track record with God? What if you have not witnessed the saving power of Jesus and the power of his mighty word? I get it, sometimes it’s really difficult to see tangible examples of God’s faithfulness. I would encourage you to look around and start with Genesis. When you see the mountains and the seas of the Earth, the animals that roam the lands and swim the seas, the billions of stars in our galaxy and imagine the hundreds of billions of galaxies in the universe, you can know that he already fulfilled all those promises of creation. He spoke those things into existence.  

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Now, take your doubts and struggles to God and wrestle them out. If he is big enough to place the stars in the sky, he’s big enough to walk with you through your questions. He loves you and he also likes you – give it a shot!  

Father God, you are a faithful God. You redeem and restore all things. Thank you for the evidence of your promises fulfilled and the confidence of those yet to come. May we all walk in our faith with that confidence and boldly proclaim your truth. May we plant the seeds for you to water and bring forth new life. Jesus, thank you for your patience, newness of life, and your help in boldly telling of your good news. In your mighty name we pray, AMEN.