The Faithfulness of God (Joshua 21:45)
Not one word of all the good promises that the Lord had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass.
—Joshua 21:45
This is one of my favorite verses in the Old Testament. Joshua 21:45 is a summary of God’s people taking the Promised Land—and not just actually taking it, but having the Promised Land given to them according to these verses.
Right before this, verse 43 says, “The Lord gave to Israel all the land that he swore to give to their fathers.” Verse 44 adds, “And the Lord gave them rest on every side, just as he had sworn to their fathers.” Later in verse 44, we read, “The Lord had given all their enemies into their hands.” Not one word of all the good promises that the Lord had made to his people failed.
Not one word. Just let that soak in. God is faithful to every single word of his promises. This is truth you can bank your life on today. The Word of God is filled with all kinds of promises to those who trust in him, and he will prove faithful to every single word that he promises. Not one good word of all God has promised to you will ever fail; all of them will come to pass.
Joshua 21:45 explains why we can trust every promise God has made.
So, God, we praise you for your faithfulness. We praise you for your faithfulness to every single word you promise. Lord, we praise you for your promises to never leave us or forsake us, to be with us, to strengthen us, to help us, and to give everything we need to us in our time of need. We praise you for your promise to work all things together for the good of those who love you. God, we praise you for your promise that nothing can separate us from your love. We praise you for your promise that there is coming a day when sin, sorrow, and suffering will cease, death will be no more, and you will wipe away every tear from our eyes.
Lord, we praise you for your promise that one day our faith is going to be sight, and we are going to see you, encounter you in all your glory, and enjoy you forever and ever and ever through Jesus. We praise you, Jesus, as the one in whom all of God’s promises are yes.
Joshua 21:45 pictures the certainty of God’s covenant faithfulness.
So, God, help us. I pray this over my life and over every single person listening right now. Help us to live with confidence today—with strength, comfort, wisdom, hope, joy, and peace today—that all come from knowing you will be faithful to every word you have promised to us.
Oh God, help us to encourage others today with your promises. We pray that amidst all kinds of things we might speak about today, you would help us to encourage other brothers and sisters in Christ with the things you have promised them, and to speak to others who do not know you about the promises that are available to them if they will trust in you. God, help us to share the promise of the gospel: that everyone who believes in Jesus will not perish but have eternal life. Help us to share that promise with somebody today, and we pray for the spread of your promises ultimately in the gospel today to the ends of the earth.
A Prayer for the Kumhar People
We pray, God, for the Kumhar people of Pakistan. For the over four million Kumhar, please, God, cause the good news of your promises in Jesus to spread to them. We pray that you would give boldness to your church in Pakistan. As I think about brothers and sisters I know there, please give them and all of our brothers and sisters boldness. Help them to live in the fullness of your promises as they are spreading the gospel to the Kumhar. Oh God, may it be so, just as we know that you will be faithful to every word you have promised and all of those promises will come to pass.
We pray all this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
