Just As He Said

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Posted by Priscilla Carr, April 10, 2024

I was reminded of Jesus’ faithfulness this Easter season. When the angels were at Jesus’ empty tomb and the Marys arrived looking for the body of their Savior, the angel told the women, “Don’t be afraid, because I know you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here. For He has risen, just as He said” (Matt. 28:5-6). Jesus had told His disciples many times that He would be crucified, but that He would be raised again in 3 days. The week leading up to the crucifixion He even demonstrated this when He raised Lazarus from the dead just by speaking, “Lazarus come out.” (John 11:43) He proved that He is the Resurrection and the Life as Lazarus regained life at His word.

Sometimes I need reminders that the Bible verses that mean so much to me, those promises I hold tightly to, aren’t just words. They are declarations that our Lord made Himself or spoke through His prophets and apostles. The medium isn’t important nor are the words that were spoken without the backing of the One who made the promises. Anyone can make a promise. But, only God Himself, 100% of the time, will keep His promises. So, His words are credible, life-giving, and essential.

I’m going through a Bible study of the “I Am” statements of Jesus. Jesus made a lot of declarations of who He is. For example, He said, “I am the bread of life” [after He had fed thousands of people with only a few fish and small loaves of bread] (John 6). He said, I am the light of the world (John 8:12), and then He healed the eyes of one born blind so that he could physically (and spiritually) have light (John 9). He said, “I am the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25,26), and we know how He resurrected Lazarus and Himself. He said, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6) and then He ascended bodily into the heavens (Acts 1:9) as witnessed by His disciples. Jesus can be trusted and believed.  

One of my favorite Bible verses is Hebrews 13:5b (AMPC), “For He [God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down (relax My hold on you)! [Assuredly not!]”. 

From a child I witnessed God’s faithfulness in my mother’s life after my parents divorced. My mother was left to raise 5 children on her own. But, I actually saw that my mother was not on her own. She relied heavily on her Savior Jesus during those very trying years, and I watched Him provide for his daughter and her children. Just as He said, He provided and did not leave her without support or without Himself.

Another verse I love was given to me by a counselor. Philippians 1:6, “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” I grew up believing performance earned love. When I came to Jesus and accepted Him as Savior, I also believed I had to perform to earn and keep His love. When my eyes were opened to really see this verse (I’d read through the Bible but somehow this verse had eluded me), I marveled! You mean God will do everything in me to make me like Himself? You’re saying God has taken on the responsibility of making me more like Jesus? I don’t have to clean myself up? How long will this “good work” that He will do last? Until I really mess up? Until I react in anger and say hurtful words? Until I commit that besetting sin 70X7 times? Until I fail Him again by not loving and serving “the least of these” enough? Until I hurt His heart for the 50th time in a day? I finally understood and could finally exhale and not expect the hammer to fall when I did not live up to my expectations or the expectations of others. Because, just as He said, He will carry my sanctification on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Every day until that day when Jesus returns for even me, I can be confident that He will continue to perfect me. You have that same assurance.

I’ve written about this last point before—Jesus is preparing a place for us, all true believers, at His table! At the Last Supper, He said, “Truly I tell you; I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God” (Mark 14:25). I see a grand invitation in Jesus’ statement.

There is a day coming when the kingdom of God will be seen and known. 

The Holy Spirit assures us of this when we choose to listen, and there are so many signs and wonders taking place that also indicate His kingdom is coming “soon.” And when it comes, just as He said, each of us has an invitation to sit with Him and to drink of the “fruit of the vine” with Him in His kingdom!  

It is impossible for God to lie—impossible! (Hebrews 6:18) We trust Him and await that day when, just as He said, we’ll be with Him in the place (Matt 14:2) He’s preparing for us. He is a loving God who has always been faithful and has proven faithful in my life and the lives of countless others.

“God is not a man, that he should lie; 

neither the son of man, that he should repent: 

hath he said, and shall he not do it? 

or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?”

(Numbers 23:19)

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father;

There is no shadow of turning with Thee;

Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;

As Thou hast been Thou forever will be.

Great is Thy faithfulness! Great is Thy faithfulness!

Morning by morning new mercies I see:

All I have needed Thy hand hath provided—

Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

Thomas Chisholm (1866–1960) with music composed by William M. Runyan (1870–1957)

Priscilla Carr was born in NYC, but has lived in metro Atlanta since 1979. She is a Navy veteran trained in electronics which God used for a 30-year career at the FAA. She uses her training to provide audio support to Touching Hearts Ministries, and is the Editor and Producer of “A Burst of Hope” podcast. She began her adult new life in Jesus in 1990 right before leaving the Navy, and today she exudes her love for Jesus. She is the proud mama to two rambunctious fur kids, Gracie (Lab) and Faith (Pit-mix). Priscilla was encouraged by elementary teachers to write. She took creative writing courses in High School and college, but in the mid-eighties, she stopped writing. The desire to write has been recently reawakened, and she is thriving in her new writing adventure.