So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. (Isaiah 55:11 KJV).
I admit that I don’t know much about football. I have no clue how many players are on a team or what the various players are called, but I know what it looks like when the team scores! When the running back has the ball in his hand, he must run from one end of the field to the other. Once he arrives, it’s called a “touchdown.” Sounds simple, but the other team is intent on making sure the running back doesn’t make it to the other side. They work collectively to reroute, detour, block, and tackle him to keep him from making a touchdown.
In 1982, a player named Tony Dorsett broke a world record for successfully scoring a touchdown by running 99 yards across the football field without being tackled by the opposing team. This was a feat that had never been seen before. He made football history!
What does this have to do with anything? A few years ago, God made me a promise that He would bless me with a son. I didn’t know when, but I knew I could trust God’s promises. Then the unthinkable happened. After finding out that we were indeed going to have a baby, I began to have complications. I didn’t worry, because I knew God was faithful, and my baby would be fine.
Still, the complications persisted.
I found myself in the emergency room hearing words I never thought I’d hear, “We can’t find a heartbeat. This pregnancy is not viable.” My world began to shift, and my faith began to falter. I couldn’t understand how God could default on the promise He made me. Hope became a fantasy. Faith became obsolete.
I was in a dark place for several weeks, but somewhere deep in my heart, I mustered up the courage to lift my hands and worship God despite it all. With a broken heart and tears streaming down my face, I cried out to God, “YET WILL I TRUST YOU!” I began to feel my faith reviving. I still didn’t understand why I didn’t have my little boy, but I decided to trust God, nevertheless.
One year later, I found myself sitting in the doctor’s office awaiting a brand-new sonogram. We were going to have a baby, but would I lose it again? With my heart pounding and sweat blanketing my forehead, I sighed in relief at the “boomboom” “boomboom” of my baby’s heartbeat. How beautiful the sound! I knew this was the son God had promised me. The doctor congratulated us on a healthy pregnancy and asked me if I wanted to know the gender. With confidence I said, “I already know it’s a boy.” Dumbfounded, she responded in amazement, “Uhh…yes, you’re right! It’s a boy!”
It was after this trial that Isaiah 55:11 had a whole new meaning to me. It says, “So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.”
When God sends His word, it is on a mission! It MUST reach its destination. No matter what obstacles present themselves, His promises are sent with purpose, and nothing can reroute, detour, block, or tackle His word, and in my case, not even death! It HAS to make a touchdown! That’s exactly what happened in my situation. God promised me that He would bless me with a son, and He kept His promise! TOUCHDOWN!
I’ll admit that fear gripped me this second time around, and I was afraid I’d lose my baby again, but God reminded me that His promise would not and could not return void, that it would accomplish what He pleased, and that it would prosper.
“It shall prosper” were words that I repeated every time doubt tried to step in. “It shall prosper!” And it did! He’s three years old now!
Tony Dorsett may have broken a football world record for running 99 yards in 1982, but God’s promises hold the world record for being completely unstoppable. He made a promise to mankind that took 42 generations to manifest. He promised a Savior that would deliver us from our sins. God never defaults on His promises, no matter how long they take. His promises always make a touchdown!
Questions to consider:
– Have you received a promise from God that you haven’t seen fulfilled?
– Has doubt begun to overpower your faith?
– Are you wondering how God’s promises can still be fulfilled when all hope seems lost?
I invite you to look beyond your situation and look to the God who has never failed. He has never written a rubber check. He always fulfills His promises, and no obstacle can hinder His word from being accomplished.
Let’s pray.
Lord, I admit that time and circumstance have caused me to doubt Your word. I know that you are a promise keeper, but what I see with my eyes is contrary to what You’ve said in Your word. Teach me to trust Your word more than I do my own eyes. Teach me to believe in Your promises even when they seem impossible, because nothing is impossible with You. Increase my faith to where it doesn’t falter due to elapsing time or the difficulties of life. I’m ready for my touchdown.