Hebrews 10:35
“So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you!”
Expiration dates vs. best-by dates… can be controversial. When food expires we label it as spoiled and proceed to dispose of it, it is no longer safe to consume. Best-by dates indicate when a product will be of it’s best flavor or quality. Be careful not to throw away your confidence in the promises that God says are still being made good, actually, made “best-by-Him.” In fact, you can trust that the things waited on & hoped for are getting better and sweeter over time!
Do God’s promises have an expiration date?
A synonym for expire would be “to become void.” God’s promises do not return void or empty. Unlike products that have a labeled shelf-life, God’s promises keep their value. No matter how the promise is fulfilled by Him, whether it comes in the package we prefer or not, what He accomplishes is a success and it takes a transformed mind to appreciate what He gives and withholds, for His glory.
Isaiah 55:11
“So will my word be which goes out of my mouth; It will not return to me void (useless, without result) without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.”
We often have a self-appointed “best-by” date.
We know God is good and we expect Him to answer prayers but we also put a timeframe on Him. I’m talking to the one who has gone on for so long without a response from God. It feels as if God has surpassed your limit of patience and the promise He once made to you has spoiled. Well, I’d like to flip the script for you today by saying, you may be spoiling the promise for yourself. You want to know everything before you’re supposed to and He wants to give you a… surprise? God, in a different context, wants to spoil YOU. If you will allow Him to. He’s a, “imma show you betta than I can tell you” type of God.
Even His disciples asked Jesus a simple, “when?”
Acts 1:6
“So when the apostles were with Jesus, they kept asking him, “Lord, has the time come for you to free Israel and restore our kingdom?”
Jesus did indeed respond:
Acts 1:7
“The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know.”
This text tells me, only God knows the “best-by” date on the promises He makes to you and that’s for your own good. Maybe God is responding to you but with a “to-be-continued” kind of answer.
Acts 1:9
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Verse 9 shows us that Jesus does tell them “when,” just not with a date or specific details. Although, He does give instructions when it comes to anticipating and receiving what is promised to come (the power of the Holy Spirit.) The truth is, sometimes we ask questions that have confidential answers. That’s when God only has one available choice for us to take hold of:
Trust His pending reply.
In Acts 1 we know that the Holy Spirit is going to fall but we don’t know when exactly, we only know what to expect when He gets here. And just like the disciples had to trust Jesus’ word of the Holy Spirit coming, we must trust that everything that He has promised to us will come to pass as well. The disciples had to watch Jesus be crucified but they also had to witness His ascension. Their shepherd, their savior, their very best friend was leaving to enter into the other side of eternity. They experienced heartbreak, letting go of what was familiar and tangible. All that they had left was the word that they were given.
Are you holding onto the word or the promise even when you can’t see how/when/where He will come? Are you trusting in Him to come through on His “best-by” date or yours?
It may be December 2023 and the world’s calendar year is almost done but If your promise hasn’t come, don’t call it expired yet. With the Holy Spirit comes your power, your answers, your fulfilled promises. The disciples only had to wait 10 days after Jesus’ ascension before the Holy Spirit fell on the upper room and caused the creation of the rapidly growing church. They didn’t know whether He would come sooner or later but this proves that whatever it is your waiting on, God will make it worth it!
Why didn’t Jesus let the Holy Spirit fall as soon as He ascended?
That wasn’t His best-by, fixed or set date, place and time. “In 10 days,” was the date, the upper room was the place and “while-in-prayer,” was the time. The upper room was a place of prayer, a secret place. Prayer is where you find your patience, perseverance and intercession. All things that disciples need, that includes you & me. God also knew that it was on that specific scene that He would get the most glory! Many would hear, many would know, many would see and many would believe!
With how you are praying, would people be more likely to believe with you or doubt because of you? Where is your your faith? I hope it’s not the thing that has actually expired. Do not throw away your confidence, my friends! Spoiler alert: He is coming to fulfill every promise made!
Love & Blessings,
Hannah
What a powerful word! He never makes a promise that He doesn’t intend to keep ❤️❤️❤️