Standing on God’s Promises Through Every Trial

The promise of blessedness begins a month of standing on the promises of God. The familiar hymn gives language for a life anchored in what God has said, even when the storms of doubt and fear begin howling. The Beatitudes in Matthew 5 turn ordinary ideas of blessing right on their head. Jesus calls the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the humble, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, and the persecuted blessed.

The culture often treats blessing as money in the bank, a nice home, healthy children, strong relationships, and everything rosy behind a white picket fence. The culture also has trivialized promises, turning words like pledge, ensure, promise, and depends into product names while trust in institutions keeps falling apart. Hyper individualism tells people to keep every option open in case something better comes along. Promise keeping, however, remains a biblical matter: let yes be yes, no be no, and do what proceeds out of the mouth.

Standing on the promises looks simple when the story ends in physical healing, as it did for Russell Kelso Carter. Carter faced a grave heart condition, gave the rest of his life fully to God whether healing came or not, and then lived nearly five decades beyond expectation. The hymn he wrote declares that the promises cannot fail, that the living Word gives strength to prevail, and that Christ is the believer’s all in all.

The hard question arises when healing does not come, bills do not meet, and vows made over relationships seem to be breaking apart. The contrast between suffering and blessing comes into view through Morgan Love, a young woman carrying epilepsy, diabetes, paralysis, blindness, a feeding tube, and hospice care. God’s care did not mean that Morgan escaped those troubles. God’s care meant that she could say, without self-pity, “I haven’t had to” deal with it all because “God has dealt with all of it for me.”

The Beatitudes define blessing as the presence and faithfulness of God in every condition. God does not leave the poor, the grieving, the hungry for justice, or the persecuted. Rabbi Akiva’s lamp, rooster, and donkey were taken in the wilderness, but their loss became the very shield that hid him from Roman soldiers. Jesus therefore makes a promise that suffering cannot cancel: those who belong to him are blessed, because God is still present, still taking care of them, and still keeping his promises.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Blessing is bigger than comfort [51:16] The Beatitudes refuse to measure God’s favor by ease, health, money, or outward success. Jesus names people blessed precisely where the world sees lack, grief, weakness, and rejection. God’s presence does not wait for life to become pleasant before it becomes real. [51:16]
• 2. God’s promises outlast changing circumstances [43:21] Standing on God’s promises is not pretending that trouble is small. Carter’s hymn was born out of a serious health crisis and a surrender that did not demand healing as a condition of faithfulness. The unchanging Word remains solid when the body, finances, and plans do not. [43:21]
• 3. Suffering does not mean abandonment [48:30] Morgan Love’s testimony gives flesh and blood to the claim that God still takes care of his children. Her circumstances were not light, and her faith was not denial. Her confidence rested in God’s care within suffering, rather than escape from suffering. [48:30]
• 4. Loss may become God’s protection [55:42] Rabbi Akiva lost every comfort he had in one dark night. The extinguished lamp, silent rooster, and missing donkey later proved to be the means by which he remained unseen and alive. God’s goodness can be at work in losses that make no sense at first.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [29:04] - Standing on the Promises
• [30:53] - The Beatitudes and True Blessing
• [33:14] - Why Promises Matter
• [35:30] - A Culture That Keeps Options Open
• [37:08] - Shattered Trust in Institutions
• [40:11] - A Person Is Only as Good as Their Word
• [41:38] - Let Your Yes Be Yes
• [42:04] - The Story Behind the Hymn
• [44:14] - When Blessing Does Not Feel Like Blessing
• [46:18] - Morgan Love’s Witness
• [51:16] - God’s Presence in Every Circumstance
• [53:25] - Rabbi Akiva and the Wilderness
• [57:01] - Blessed in Christ’s Promise

Bible Reading

Matthew 5:1-12
“Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: 'Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” [30:53]

Matthew 5:37
“Let what you say be simply 'Yes' or 'No'; anything more than this comes from evil.” [42:04]

Numbers 30:2
“If a man vows a vow to the LORD, or swears an oath to bind himself by a pledge, he shall not break his word. He shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth.” [41:38]

Observation questions

1. In Matthew 5:1–12, which kinds of people does Jesus call blessed, and what promises does he connect to each of them? [31:48]
2. What contrasts are given between the culture’s picture of blessing—comfort, security, and a trouble-free life—and Jesus’ picture of blessing? [51:21]
3. According to Numbers 30:2 and Matthew 5:37, what should characterize a person’s words, vows, and commitments? [41:20]
4. What losses did Rabbi Akiva experience in the wilderness, and how did those losses later serve as protection? [55:35]

Interpretation questions

1. Why might Jesus begin the Sermon on the Mount by calling people blessed in conditions such as poverty of spirit, mourning, hunger for justice, and persecution rather than in comfort and success? [56:51]
2. How does the promise that God is present with his people change the meaning of blessing when physical healing, financial relief, or restored relationships do not come?
3. What does Morgan Love’s confidence that God had “dealt with all of it” suggest about the difference between denying suffering and trusting God within suffering? [48:30]
4. Matthew 5:37 calls believers to let their yes be yes and their no be no. How might keeping ordinary commitments reflect God’s faithful character in a culture that often keeps options open? [41:38]

Application questions

1. When life is going well, what do you most naturally count as evidence that God has blessed you? How might Jesus’ words in the Beatitudes expand or correct that definition? [51:28]
2. Is there a current grief, disappointment, health concern, financial pressure, or conflict where you have been tempted to think God has left you? What would it look like to remember that his presence is still a real blessing there? [51:54]
3. What promise of God has helped you during a difficult season before? How could you return to that promise this week when doubt or fear begins to feel loud? [43:28]
4. Is there a commitment—at home, at work, in the church, or with a friend—that you need to follow through on more faithfully? What is one clear next step you could take?
5. Where are you most tempted to keep your options open because you fear missing out on something better? How could faithfulness to Christ shape a different response? [36:07]
6. Rabbi Akiva could only see the purpose of his losses afterward. Is there a loss or closed door in your life that you still do not understand? How can the group support you in trusting God without pretending that the loss is easy? [56:25]