top of page
Glen Solberg
Jul 107 min read

My Greatest Promise from the Bible




The Bible has been described in many ways. Some have called it God’s Rulebook for Life. Many would think of it as a Holy book. Christians believe that the Bible is God’s special revelation of Himself to humanity. No doubt, there are endless opinions about the Bible.

 

For those of us who are Christ-followers, the Bible is certainly a book of promises. Promises that God makes to His Creation, to His chosen people, and to His church. A pastor I know, frequently reminds us that there were roughly 7,000 promises in the Bible. That’s a lot of promises!

 

Do you realize the incredible gift God has given us in sharing these promises? I could give you several reasons why they are such incredible gifts but let me just focus on one: Because God keeps His promises. We make promises and sometimes break them. But God has never broken a promise from the Bible and He never will. As Joshua reminded the Israelites in Joshua 21:45, “Not one word of all the good promises that the Lord had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass.”

 

If we can agree that God gives us promises in the Bible, and that He will always keep them, then is it possible to choose “the greatest promise in the Bible”? If there are 7,000 promises in the Bible, how in the world could anyone decide which is the greatest?

 

Two Make Their Case

I would guess that as long as people have had the Bible, there have been opinions about God’s promises. So, I did a little research on this topic. Although I could have probably found more, below are two well-known people sharing their opinion on God’s greatest promise:

 

Pastor David Jeremiah makes his case for Romans 8:28 being the greatest promise. Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.”. I would say that David Jeremiah makes a strong case for why he believes this promise is so incredible. I have linked his sharing in the sources at the end of this post (1).

 

Bible Teacher and Speaker Nancie Guthrie makes a convincing case as well for Revelation 21:3 which says, “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be His people, and God Himself will be with them as their God”. You can find a link to her video and post in the sources as well (2).

 

Making My Case

While there are certainly lots of opinions about God’s greatest promise in Scripture, let me take a few minutes to make my case. Check out the verses below from the Psalms that begin to “hint” of where I am going with my choice for His greatest promise:

 

  • The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.  Psalm 46:7,11


  •  Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from Your presence? If I ascend to heaven, You are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, You are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me.  Psalm 139:7-10


  •  Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.  Psalm 23:4

 

Or to further make my case, how about these from the Gospels and 1 Corinthians:

 

  • All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us). Matthew 1:22-23


  •  Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”  Matthew 28:19-20


  •  And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. You know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.  John 14:16-17


  •  Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

 

Take a moment to read those Old and New Testament verses again. Did you hear a common theme in all those verses?

 

I’m confident you saw the common theme. That theme is that God is with us. His promises in these verses remind us that we are not alone. As born-again Christians, we can be confident that He is with us in our everyday lives and that His Spirit lives in us!

 

In making my case, I do have one verse that I think best sums up the “God is with us theme”. And here it is from Hebrews 13:5 “I will never leave or forsake you”. The author of Hebrews is quoting from Moses as he commissions Joshua to succeed him:

 

Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you. Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you shall go with this people into the land that the Lord has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall put them in possession of it. It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; He will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”  Deuteronomy 31:6-8. (emphasis added)

 

Moses repeats this promise to Joshua twice because he doesn’t want Joshua to forget it!  And to help Joshua have further confidence, the Lord Himself says these words to Joshua in Joshua 1:5 “No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you.”

 

How Knowing This Should Affect Us

Knowing truths about God and His Word is critical for Christ-followers. We cannot be obedient to things we do not know or understand. But God calls us beyond mere knowledge or understanding to application. So how should knowing He will never leave or forsake us affect our everyday lives?

 

First of all, I think it should humble us and make us forever grateful. God didn’t have to give us the promise of His presence with us, but He did! He didn’t have to give us His Holy Spirit to live in us either. What a humbling thought to know the Creator of everything is with me and in me! My response should be one of humble thanksgiving. Thank You, Lord!

 

Second, I think it should give us courage in our everyday lives. Courage to be the people He created us to be and to walk obediently and faithfully as well. Here is how Got Questions shared on that courage: “God’s eternal promise that He will never leave or forsake believers is not only comforting, but also provides courage to followers of Christ. Because God will never leave or forsake His children, they can live unafraid. Hebrews 13:6 follows God’s promise with the statement, “So we can confidently say, The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?” (ESV). Essentially, this is a quote from Psalm 118:6–7, which portrays God as the Helper who protects His chosen people. Like Joshua being encouraged to complete his appointed task, Christians can also be emboldened and strengthened by the promise that the Lord will never leave or forsake them.” (3)

 

And finally, God’s faithfulness to never leave or forsake us should drive us to worship Him! What other response should naturally flow out of our heart but worship of the One who gives and keeps all His promises? If you have not already done so, take a moment even now to worship the Lord for His presence that He so graciously shares with us as His beloved kids!

 

I will close with one more verse that again, reminds us of God being with us. Oh, what glorious promises He has given us!! “Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand. Isa 41:10 NLT.

 

 

 

Additional: Reflecting on This Post

The question was asked earlier, “So how should knowing God will never leave or forsake us affect our everyday lives?”  How would you answer that question? Give at least two ways.

 

 

 

 

Take some time to reflect on David Jeremiah’s sharing on Romans 8:28, as well as Nancy Guthrie’s sharing on Revelation 21:3 (see links in “Sources” below). How are you encouraged or challenged in your walk with Jesus by these verses?

 

 

 

 

What are at least two promises from the Bible that are dear to you? Write out a prayer to the Lord in the space below thanking Him for these promises and letting Him know why they are so dear to you!!

 



 

 

More Sharing on My Greatest Promise of the Bible

 

Got Questions Site – I will never leave or forsake you: https://www.gotquestions.org/I-will-never-leave-you-nor-forsake-you.html

 

 

 

 

  

Written by Glen Solberg, Abiding Marriage, 2024. Send comments or questions to

 

Sources:

 

 

(3) Got Questions: Link shared above in “More Sharing” section.

 

Image created by Abiding Marriage from www.merriam-webster.com 

Comments

bottom of page