Exceedingly great and precious promises.

"Exceeding great and precious promises." - 2 Peter 1.4

I love that sentence. It is so true. The promises of God are exceedingly great and precious. I just read something by Spurgeon related to this, and it encouraged me. He says:

"My eye must not so much be fixed upon the greatness of the mercy - that may stagger me; as upon the greatness of the promiser - that will cheer me. My soul, it is God, even thy God, God that cannot lie, who speaks to thee... He is a God unchangeable. He has not altered the things which have gone out of His mouth, nor called back one single consolatory sentence. Nor doth He lack any power; it is the God that made the heaves and the earth who has spoken thus. Nor can He fail in wisdom as to the time when He will bestow the favours, for He knoweth when it is best and when better to withhold. Therefore, seeing that it is the word of a God so true, so immutable, so powerful, so wise, I will and must believe the promise."

I've been thinking again about how nearly everything comes down to deeply and intimately knowing the character of God - I mean really knowing God. You can hear as much as you want about how to live life, or what God promises, but the thing which makes the difference in any of it, the thing which makes it sweet to obey, the thing which gives you confidence in believing His word, is actually deeply and intimately knowing God Himself. The thing which enables you to wait for His promises to be fulfilled.... and to keep waiting.... and to keep waiting..... is knowing Him; knowing He is true to His word, but also knowing that even if He slayed you, even if you had to wait forever, He is still enough for you now. He is enough. I don't always live like He is enough, but deep down, i know it is true.

"He is altogether lovely." - Song of Songs 5.16