God Hath Not Promised (1)

1
God hath not promised skies always blue,
Flower-strewn pathways all our lives through;
God hath not promised sun without rain,
Joy without sorrow, peace without pain.
  But God hath promised strength for the day,
Rest for the labor, light for the way,
Grace for the trials, help from above,
  Unfailing sympathy, undying love.
2
God hath not promised we shall not know
Toil and temptation, trouble and woe;
He hath not told us we shall not bear
Many a burden, many a care.
3
God hath not promised smooth roads and wide,
Swift, easy travel, needing no guide;
Never a mountain, rocky and steep,
Never a river, turbid and deep.
76
Teila Tosado

New York, U.S.A.

God ordains the days to be the way they are so we can call upon His name and pray to Him through out the day. Many times I would pray to have a good day, and I would not have much of a good day. Stanza three says "God has not promised smooth roads, and wide - Swift easy travel needing no guide." Being in middle school I find it more helpful to call upon the Lord's name.


Elvis

Barbados

The song is a refreshing blend of Spirit inspired words and soothing melody. It put me in a mode of reflection. Envisioning our Lord and Saviour glorified after His sacrifice for us. It allows you, me that is, to enjoy all the types of Christ in His creation. My first encounter compelled me to learn the song in a day as I offer up the very sames words of the song as a pray to our Father... Amen.


Rachel Becker

Surrey, BC, Canada

This song is the best song and very enjoyable. It has very nice tune too. I hope everyone will enjoy it too, because I love it so much! And praise the Lord!


Ron Mammen

Surrey, BC, Canada

My name Ron and I have been enjoying the hymns so much...Especially "God Hath Not Promised Skies Always Blue"...It is a wonderful song and has helped me through my day which is filled with distractions from many friends at high school and the world... Praise the Lord that we can depend on Him!!


Filip S. Syrek

Reading, United Kingdom

Thank You, Lord that in the midst of intermixed and interwoven situations, often when my heart is heavy laden You give me the strength for the day...

This song is so true and so experiential. So often times I forget what the Lord actually promised and drift into a state of expecting the deliverence. NO! God hath not promised to deliver - He promised to give grace and strength for the day! Oh, this is too, too precious! God is with us in our sufferings... How sweet and intimate it is. We know that the momentary lightness of afflictions will work out for us an eternal weight of glory... His grace is sufficient! Even when in the middle of heart-squeezing anguish I doubt - it is so. I take His promises, promises in His Word through faith and not by feeling - this is what makes me a partaker of the divine nature!!! Hallelujah! God has promised strength for the day!!!


Anonymous

Toronto, ON, Canada

I really enjoyed this song with some other sisters and I have realized how true God's promise to us is. I experienced just how comforting the Lord can be in our daily trials and hardships. In this song, it relates to how God is not promising us a carefree and easy life without anything to worry about. Instead it tells us all the hard sufferings that we probably will have to go through in our daily living and throughout our entire life. But instead of offering a perfect life, or to keep all problems away from us, God offers what He is and has as Himself. He promises us His grace, strength, light, and help, through all the hardships of life. He is also there to guide us and help us out of our difficulties. No matter how ridiculous or pathetic the situation might be, or how other people might have laughed instead of sympathized, God's sympathy is truly inexhaustible, never running out and He is also offering to us His undying and everlasting love. Through all the difficulties of life, God is there to comfort our trials.

Some of us probably wonder, "Well, if God is the Almighty and He has power over everything in the universe, then why does He make us go through these hardships? Why do we need His grace for our suffering, why can't He just make our life easy, then we won't need Him to comfort and help us?" However, if we think carefully, God uses these opportunities to gain us and show us how real He can be to us. Usually, for most of us, when life seems wonderful and everything is going fine, we shut Him out of our life. Our reasoning is usually, "Hey, my life is going just fine. Why do I need the Lord? Life is complete without Him." When life is like that, we go on with our daily living without experiencing Him or having any contact with Him. Therefore, God creates these situations in which we are so hopeless and have no control over it that we will turn away from the world and to the Lord. And when we turn to Him, HALLELUJAH!, we get such a sweet and personal experience of Him! God's goal is to work Himself into Man. However, because of our stubbornness, and continuously refusing to turn to Him, the Lord has to keep on using these situations to gain us, because it's almost the only time that we will allow Him to speak to us.

If you have been in darkness for a long time, just turn to the Lord in your troubles and He will be there to guide you. Not only that, but we shouldn't only turn to God when we are in trouble, but we should talk to Him every single day! He is willing to listen to you, sympathize and love when you feel low, and He will guide you for the rest of your life if you will simply turn and listen to His voice. You will realize also, how sweet and real He will be to you. Amen.

As an elderly person, I have passed through a great many different experiences in human life. Many unpleasant things have happened to me. There is no such thing as a life without difficulties. As the line from a hymn says, "God hath not promised skies always blue" (Hymns, #720). But although I have passed through many situations of unhappiness and unpleasantness, I have been a happy person because I have the Lord Jesus. Even the demons can testify that I am happy in the Lord. I do not have the Lord Jesus merely in an objective way as the One in the heavens. My Christ is both in the heavens and also in me. Hallelujah, Christ lives in me, and I can breathe Him, drink of Him, and feast upon Him! Daily I enjoy the best breathing, drinking, and eating.

As fallen ones, we may have the fallen natural concept that if we fear God, serve Him, love Him, and follow Him, we will prosper in everything; the unhealthy will become healthy and the foolish will become wise. However, God has not promised this. Hymns, #720 was written by an experienced Christian. Verse 1 and the chorus say,

...

Many times, God has placed those who love Him into trials and sufferings that they may experience more of Him. When everything is calm and peaceful, we seldom think of enjoying God and know very little about experiencing the Lord. Only when we fall into sufferings can we be humbled to trust the Lord wholeheartedly, call on Him, and enjoy Him.