When someone says “I will,” it is with the expectation that they will follow through with whatever it is they intend to do. I will come help you tomorrow. I will loan you something, or I will return what I borrowed, tomorrow. The list is endless. When you ask someone a favour, you would hope they respond with an “I will.”
Not every time when someone says, “I will…” do they actually follow through with what they said they will do. The next time they come to you and say “I will”, you will be less likely to trust them that they actually will. . . So they add the word I promise I will. . . They hope to make you really believe that they will this time. However, there will still be people who do not follow through with what they said they will do. If you are a person of your word, when you say “I will”, people will believe you right away and you do not need to add the “I promise.” Or you do not need to “swear that you will” do as you say. You are a person of your word.
Jesus told a parable of two sons. Their father asked them to go work in the field. One son said “I go, sir: and went not.” Matthew 21:30. This was a deliberate defiance and refusal to do as he said he would. This is true with many people. They are agreeable, but they have no intention of following through with what they said they will do.
The disciple Peter said He would go with Jesus to prison and death, “And he said unto Him, Lord, I am ready to go with Thee, both into prison, and to death.” Luke 22:33. Not long after we see that Peter denied his Lord with swearing and cursing. This was not as intentional as was the son in the parable. Peter did not openly change his mind due to defiance. It was fear, and in the spur of the moment, he did not think clearly.
We have to be very careful about our actions when we say, “I will.”
In the Bible we can read hundreds of verses where God said, “I will.” We know that God “who cannot lie,” will do what He says He will do. This has been shown in 100% of the times that God said “I will.” Sometimes it is good, when He promises to comfort the distressed, and at other times it is punishment for evildoers.
We need to have 100% confidence that what the Lord says He will do, He will actually do. He has never failed in the past and will not fail in the future. He is God and never changes.
You can read verses where the writer has full confidence in what God can do, so they write, God will, or He will.
Even though we know that God is Almighty and “nothing is impossible for Him” sometimes we are tempted to not believe that He really will do as He said. Sometimes we need to see the evidence first before we believe that He will. Our faith is weak. There is a saying in English “God said it, I believe it, and that settles it.” That should be our attitude.
Let us read a few of the verses where the Lord says, “I will,” and take them to heart, and believe that He will.
“And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh.” Ezekiel 11:19. And, it is repeated in Ezekiel 36:26. When we get disheartened at seeing the sinful condition of our heart, and when we seem to fail over and over again, it is easy to lose hope, but we can thank the Lord that He has promised to take out the stony heart and give us a heart of flesh. It is something we cannot do on our own. He never said, “I might”, or if you are good, I will consider changing your heart. He simply said, “I will”. And so He will if you ask Him.
We never need to feel alone on this earth because the Lord promised, “And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you for ever.” John 14:16. The promise is a guarantee that the Holy Spirit will be sent to those who ask.
“If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him?” Luke 11:11–13
Do you pray for the Holy Spirit? It should be a part of our daily prayers. Jesus said, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.” Matthew 7:7–8. “And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.” Matthew 21:22. “And whatsoever ye shall ask in My name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” John 14:13. We only have to believe that He will do as He promised.
There is no reason to doubt that God listens to and hears your prayers. “And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.” Isaiah 65:24. Do not wait for some evidence or some special feeling that your prayer has been answered. Simply believe—before you ask, God has the answer ready. He has all your problems figured out. He knows the future and is leading you—all you have to do is follow. “Call unto Me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.” Jeremiah 33:3. His plan for our lives is often greater than we can imagine. He has great plans for each sincere believer in Christ. Just believe.
We never need to feel lost because, “Thus saith the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker, Ask Me of things to come concerning My sons, and concerning the work of My hands command ye Me. I have made the earth, and created man upon it: I, even My hands, have stretched out the heavens, and all their host have I commanded. I have raised him up in righteousness, and I will direct all his ways. ”Isaiah 45-11–13
Although, we find many promises in the Bible where the Lord says He will help, save and protect His children; He will forgive them of their sins and iniquities, we need to take heed also when He says… “The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.” 2 Peter 3:11
This is a solemn warning. The Lord will come. We know not when, but we see the signs fast fulfilling. He will come and save His children. The wicked will be punished. There is no possibility of it being otherwise because God said it.
Troublous times are ahead for the children of God, and although we know that the Lord has promised to be with us, do we really believe He will see us through? We need to have complete trust in Him when the world is against us. “So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.” Hebrews 13:6
When tempted to take matters into our own hands in the troublous times when people are against us, we have to trust the Lord’s promise when He says, “For we know Him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto Me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge His people.” Hebrews 10:30. Leave it to the Lord.
We look forward to the time when the Lord will perfect our Christian character. Together we work with the Lord and He has promised. “For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put My laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to Me a people.” Hebrews 8:10. He will prepare your heart and character for heaven if you allow Him to work in and through you. If we do decide to separate from the world, this wonderful promise is ours. “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be My sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.” 2 Corinthians 6:17–18
As you read through your Bible, give an extra thought to the many other verses when you see the Lord saying, “I will”. Meditate on His words and do not doubt.
He will cleanse every sinner that repents. He will direct you. He will answer your prayers. He will comfort those that are in distress. He will save to the uttermost all who come to Him by faith (Hebrews 7:25). He will be with you in every trial. He will change your stony heart into a heart of flesh. He will save you when He comes if you have let Him work His will through your life, and He will be a Father to you. There are many more promises He has made that He will follow through on. Take comfort and trust in Him.
Now, since the Lord has made us so many promises, what will we do for the Lord?
The nation of Israel said, “All that the LORD hath spoken we will do.” Exodus 19:8. Not long after they were found dancing around a golden calf. Some people’s “promises and resolutions are like ropes of sand.” –Steps to Christ, p. 47
Although when we use the word “vow” it has a stronger meaning than simply saying we will do something. A vow carries a heavier weight. Solomon wrote: “When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for He hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed. Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.” Ecclesiastes 5:4–5. However, the same principle holds true. Better to not say you will do something and then not do it, rather than say you will and then you do not. Yes, circumstances do arise in life that may make it difficult to follow through such as injury, family emergencies, or the weather. But, if there are no good reasons to not follow through, then it is better to keep your word.
After an inspiring sermon, have you ever told yourself, I will do more missionary work, I will be on time for church, I will give more donations, I will… and then later hesitate to follow through?
The Lord is looking for your cooperation, so in your personal life, follow the Lord’s example and when He calls you, answer Him by saying “I will”. Do not be like the son in the parable at the beginning who said he would go work for his father but did not, or like the nation of Israel who soon forgot and made a feast for an idol. Your words mean little if there are not corresponding actions to your words.
Let us rehearse the words of the following song regularly:
“I will follow Thee my Saviour,
wheresoe’er my lot may be.
Where Thou goest I will follow;
Yes, my Lord I’ll follow Thee.
Though the road be rough and thorny,
Trackless as the foaming sea,
Thou hast trod this way before me,
And I’ll gladly follow Thee.
Though I meet with tribulations,
Sorely tempted though I be;
I remember Thou wast tempted,
And rejoice to follow Thee.
Though Thou leadest me through affliction,
Poor, forsaken, though I be;
Thou wast destitute, afflicted,
And I only follow Thee.
Though to Jordan’s rolling billows,
Cold and deep, Thou leadest me,
Thou hast crossed the waves before me,
And I still will follow Thee.”
If life provides you challenges and you are having a rough time, do not give up. The Lord will see you through. He will lead you in the path that He has chosen for you to walk for your own salvation, and the salvation of those close to you.
Take comfort. The Lord loves you and will work in every heart that comes to Him by faith. Just make a decision that you will follow Him and then He has promised that He will lead you in the paths of righteousness and prepare you for eternity. That is guaranteed. He will keep His word.
Amen.
By Wendy Eaton (ON)