One of my wife’s great joys is that when she asks me to do something, I say, “I will.” It is music to her ears. Honestly, I don’t always respond that way. It is more like, “Ok honey, I’ll get around to it.” When I finally do, she is happy. I thank God for my wife. She is a tremendous blessing. We are a team and we like to do things together. I want to keep my word and my promises. That “I will” will be more frequent, trusting, and reassuring. This morning, I was thinking about the “I will’s” of God in the scriptures. “I will” is mentioned five times in Gen. 12:1-3.
He is not a maybe God but the God of I will!
Look at Genesis 12:1-3 (NKJV)-1 Now the LORD had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, From your family And our father’s house, To a land that I will show you.2 I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing.3 I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” God was making a covenant with Abraham ( Heb 6:13-15). Apostle Paul shares with us our relationship with Abraham in Romans 4:16 (NKJV)-16 Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all. Again in Galatians 3:8-9 (NKJV)-8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, “In you all the nations shall be blessed.”9 So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham. Finally, in Galatians 3:14 (NKJV)-14 that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. Because of Christ, we are blessed with believing Abraham. The “I will” to Abraham is God’s “I will” to us in Christ!
Let’s break it down: When God says I will, there is certainty in what He is saying. It is not wishful, doubtful thinking. God isn’t hesitating and unsure of Himself. Look at Numbers 23:19 (NKJV)-19 “God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good? The “I will” of God is based on His character. He is righteous and holy! He is the God, He is “I am”. He is and will always be! ( Heb 13:8). There was a time when our human words meant something. Our words were our bond. If we gave our word it meant something. When we made promises we meant it! We kept it. God keeps His Word. We see also in Exodus 6:6-8 the “I will’s” of God.
- I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians (vs 6)
- I will take you to Me for a people (vs 7)
- I will be to you a God (vs 7)
- I will bring you in unto the land (vs 8)
- I will give it to you for a heritage. (vs 8)
The number 5 is mentioned 318 times, which is believed to be the case because this number is a symbol of the goodness and grace of God and also God’s favor to humans. His grace and His goodness towards us are not based on our performance but on what Christ has done for us in redemption. The phrase “I will’s” in Hebrew are verbs in past (i.e., perfect) tense instead of the future tense, for so certain was God of their accomplishment that they were viewed as having been completed.” (Kaiser). In God’s mind, it was already accomplished! This is a wonderful truth about the character and nature of God. He is not fickle, doubleminded, untrustworthy and He is incapable of lying(Heb.6:18). Isaiah 46:9-10 (AMP)-9 [Earnestly] remember the former things, [which I did] of old; for I am God, and there is no one else; I am God, and there is none like Me,10 Declaring the end and the result from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure and purpose. Psalm 89 speaks powerfully of God keeping His Word. Psalm 89:34 (NKJV)-34 My covenant I will not break, Nor alter the word that has gone out of My lips.
When God says “I will” five times He means it! It is a grace message. It is a grace truth. It is a strong statement of love and can’t be argued with or reversed. The “I will’s of God is based on the love of God. In Jesus, we see the perfect character and nature of God. Look at Matthew 8:1-3 (NKJV)-1 When He had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him.2 And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.”3 Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately his leprosy was cleansed. That was the love and compassion of God in action. God is no respecter of a person.
If Jesus was willing for him, He is willing for you and I!
In John 14:9 Jesus said to his disciple Philip, “If you seen me you have seen the Father.” “The I will” of Jesus was and is the “I will of God!” We should never question God’s will to save, to heal, and to deliver. Look at John 8:53-58 (NKJV)-53 Are You greater than our father Abraham, who is dead? And the prophets are dead. Whom do You make Yourself out to be?”54 Jesus answered, “If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing. It is My Father who honors Me, of whom you say that He is your God.55 Yet you have not known Him, but I know Him. And if I say, ‘I do not know Him,’ I shall be a liar like you; but I do know Him and keep His word.56 Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.”57 Then the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?”58 Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.“ The “I will” of God is an eternal affirmation of His divine willingness towards us. He was always “I will” and “I am!”
How are you at keeping your promises? How are you in keeping your word? Obviously, we fall short at times. I know I have. We are human, right? It is something we should always strive to do and be a person of our word. When I read the ” I will’s of God it gives me hope and confidence.
I know I can trust God and that he is faithful to keep His word.
That all the promises of God are YES and Amen! (2 Cor 1:20). I don’t want to doubt who God is and His character. I don’t want to doubt His love for me. That He wants all of us blessed in every way! ( 3 John 2). I read these two verses in Jeremiah today and it just confirms even more the goodness and grace of God. Jeremiah 30:17 (NKJV)-17 For I will restore health to you And heal you of your wounds,’ says the LORD. And in Jeremiah 33:6 (NKJV)-6 Behold, I will bring it health and healing; I will heal them and reveal to them the abundance of peace and truth. What a promise from our Father in heaven. For someone standing in faith for healing, this is awesome! In Hebrew the phrase “I will bring” is mahaleh. It means an elevation, a rise, ascent. A mounting up or climbing stairs. I see this as God’s desire to reach forward, mount up, ascend, and minister to the needs in our lives. I see His willingness, His movement towards us. He is not holding back (Psalm 84:11). He doesn’t bless us based on our character but His. All He requires is faith ( Heb 11:6). We are to behold this, to open our eyes and fully trust Him. To see His heart and love reaching out to us! Faith is not only us moving towards Him but He is moving towards us! He wants to reveal His “abundance of peace and truth.” To reveal to us His reliability! We see the goodness and grace of God in Jesus in Acts 10:38 (NKJV)-38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.
In closing: How wonderful the grace of God is. The “I will” of God is the movement of grace towards us in Christ. Titus 2:11 (NKJV)11 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. Ephesians 1:3 (NKJV)-3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. In God’s mind, it is a done deal! Salvation and healing are already accomplished in Christ. Are we waiting on God or is He waiting on us to believe and to receive by faith? Our receiver is working at a higher capacity and efficiency when we know and believe that He loves us and that He will always keep His Word. He is the God of “I will”. Hold on I hear my wife calling………..” Honey, “can you please help me clean up and take out the garage? Yes, honey…………… I will!“
Can you hear God in that still small voice saying,” I will and I have because I Am!”
In Christ’s Love;
Brent and Linda Bushen
If this has blessed you in some way, please let us know and share it with a friend!