Standing in the Promises

The big open sky prairie ranch land of Montana was our camping spot for a week.
 We were told that the complaint box was at the top of "that hill over there"
and that complaints were diligently checked annually.

 Every evening, complainers hiked to the top of the hill and stayed awhile to enjoy the view.

Evenings also brought rainstorms, lighting shows, amazing sunsets

 and beautiful rainbows.

RAINBOWS.

 The rainbows brought out the campers and the cameras.
 Isn't it amazing how we never tire of rainbows? 
Rainbows  bring Noah (who found favor with God) to mind 
and how he must have felt seeing the first rainbow. 
That rainbow was God's promise to Noah and all of us that He (God)
 would never again destroy the earth with water.
 Never. 
And did you know that just about every culture in the world has a flood story?

2 Corinthians 1:20 says that All God's promises are YES and AMEN.
 (My paraphrase).

 All.  

That means they are true.

 True for you and true for me.

 TRUE.

Rainbows have seven colors - red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet, 
(And here's a little free nerdiness: the number seven is used 860 times in the Bible and always refers to completeness). 
 Gods promises are complete - yes and amen. 

Here's another little fact - the rainbow flag we've been seeing flying around
in the news lately only has six colors.
 Six in the Bible symbolizes man, human weakness, the enemy's evils, and sin. 

 Just sayin'.

A man of great faith, my hometown Texas pastor has said,

 "If God gives you a promise, 

believe it, stand on it, and act as if it has already happened." 

If we stand on something - we remain motionless and steady on our feet. 

Unmoved.

Believe it. 

Stand on it.

 Act as if it has already happened. 

"But God has never given ME a promise.", you say.

I beg to differ my friend.

You can not say that God has never given you a promise, 

because he has given you 3,573 promises in His Word. 

Three thousand, five hundred, seventy-three.

You might need to go on a Bible treasure hunt to find them, 

 but they are there and they are for you.

Believe them. 

Stand firm on them.

 Act as if they have already happened.

One afternoon on the ranch, 

we could see the end of the rainbow

and I'm here to report that there was no pot of gold anywhere in sight. 

But the end was just right over there.

It was something I had never seen before.

 Could Noah see the end of his rainbow?

Did he wish for a camera?

When I changed my view point just a little, 

the rainbow appeared to end at the complaint box.

Complainers take note:

"... no matter how many promises God has made, they are 'yes' in Christ. 

And so through him, the 'Amen' is spoken by us
to the glory of God." 

2 Corinthians 1:20

New International Version

These folks at the complaint box, look like they are standing in the rainbow.
God's promises are yes in Christ.
The Greek word used in this scripture for "in" carries a meaning

 of a fixed position and rest.

Rest. 

If God gives you a promise,

Believe it.
Stand on it.

Rest in it.

Act as if it has already happened.

One more little fact gleaned from the Internet is that 

a person standing IN a rainbow cannot see it.

It is only visible to the people on the outside looking in.

Sometimes when we are hanging on to God's promises for dear life,

we can't see that we are right smack dab in the middle of his promise, 

But to everyone else, we may appear to be 

restfully, peacefully, standing firm

in His promises.

God has given you a promise.

Believe it.

Stand on it.

Rest in it.

Act as if it has already happened.

And stop complaining.

"Whatever God has promised gets stamped with the yes of Jesus. 

In him, this is what we preach and pray,

the great Amen,

God's yes, and our yes together,

gloriously evident."

2 Corinthians 1:20

The Message

Amen