God has made promises to His people since the beginning of creation. Some of my favorites are found in the Old Testament. The Israelites wandered through the desert for a lot longer than they needed to, because they were often ungrateful and disobedient to God. Despite that, however, the Lord continued to pursue His people.
He had promised to never leave or forsake them, and He never did (Deuteronomy 31:8). Instead He encouraged them, protected them, and provided for them during all the years they were in the wilderness.
Deuteronomy 7:9 says, “Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments” (NIV).
You know what? All these generations later, you and I aren’t all that different from the Israelites. Like them, through our disobedience, sometimes we bring horrible consequences on ourselves, but when we do, God is the same as He has always been. He remains faithful to us just like He was back then.
It doesn’t matter which side of a prison wall you’re on, the challenges you face are great. But God’s promises and everlasting love remain the same. His greatest promise to us is eternal life through the blood of Jesus Christ. There is no love greater than that.
When I went to prison for the third time in 1989, I was sentenced as a habitual offender. At the beginning of my 45-year sentence, I believed I would never see the free world again. For the next 31 years, I learned many lessons about the faithfulness of God. The more committed I became to following Jesus, the more He amazed me with the things He was doing in my life.
Every day, I learn more about God’s promises and His faithfulness in keeping them. Living on the outside can be as challenging as being on the inside. When I was first released, I was at a halfway house, and not everyone there was looking to follow God. Temptation was everywhere, but God gave me strength and a way to escape it (1 Corinthians 10:13). Some of the men actually saw Christ in me, and it was a blessing to be a good example to others in that way.
The more I live my life to serve Christ, the more He pours out His blessings on me. He has been faithful to provide for my every need, just like He did for the Israelites (Psalm 34:10). He has opened doors and done things for me that I never thought possible, including providing me with a cozy RV to live in and my own vehicle.
There have been times when my flesh became weak. I have failed at some things, but God has been faithful in His grace and mercy (Lamentations 3:22–23). He never fails to pick me up when I grow weary and to continue with me on our path together.
I have learned that I can rely on God and His Word to carry me through anything I am facing. He is a covenant-keeping God. He cannot lie, and that should be a comforting truth to all believers. It is for me. I know I can trust God, and I want to be obedient to Him because of the love He has shown me. The road I am traveling is not an easy one, but God is always there to help me on my journey.
You know—this applies to you just as much as it does me. God’s faithfulness brings peace and victory to His children. If you believe that Jesus Christ died for the forgiveness of your sins and are willing to learn how to live His way, then you are a child of God. That means those promises are yours too.
Roy A. Borges served 31 years in the Florida Department of Corrections, where he realized his need for a Savior. While incarcerated, Roy ministered to others through his writings, over 300 of which have been published. He now lives in Tampa, Florida, and is a member of the Victorious Living writing team.
