God Hath Not Promised (1)
God Hath Not Promised (1)
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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,
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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.
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Calhoun, GA, United States
In sorrowful times, this hymn has always helped me most. Thanks be to God for inspiring its author!
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
I really like this song because when I run into a problem I always wonder why God did this to me. He is the God of all gods, why can't He change it for me? But God did not promise to solve my problems, but He promised strength for a day and eternal love! Lord Jesus, I love You. :)
Kumasi, Ghana
I am blessed by this song.
Walnut, CA, United States
I love this song! I sang it in a meeting last night, thank Lord for everything. You have preserved me for the past 2 weeks, and in the end I owe it all to You.
CA, United States
This hymn is amazing, whenever I'm going through any kind of problem, mental or physical this always comforts me. Satan makes our life hard, not God. It is Satan trying to turn us away from God, trying to make us mad at Him. But God doesn't bring you out of trouble, He brings you to Him instead, because He is our all in all :)
Malaysia
I give thanks to the Lord for sufficient grace and strength for the day! Alleluia!
San Juan, M.M., Philippines
"My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness" ~ 2 Cor. 12:9
- for the sufficiency of the Lord's grace to be magnified, our sufferings are required;
for the the perfectness of the Lord's power to be shown forth, our weakness is needed.
Grand Rapids, MI, United States
I'm having a really hard day where life's problems seem overwhelming. The Lord brought this song to mind. I chose to google it since I couldn't remember all of the words. What I didn't know was that the Lord would bless me as much by all your comments as by the song itself. Thank you all for being a blessing to me today.
Memphis, Tn, United States
The first verse of this hung in my kitchen as a child, memorized early in my life. It brings great comfort to me today as my parents are gone, but the verse still lingers in my heart.
New York, NY
As a Christian, this might be the hardest lesson to learn. Following the narrow path is often accompanied with travail and difficult time. It is very difficult to see them as opportunities to mature spiritually and to grow in faith. Most often, we wobble and question - is there a point to this suffering? or how come? Well..the answer is in this song. God never promised always to have clear blue skies...but HE HAS PROMISED - sufficient grace and strength for the day. Praise the Lord for His promises. Our focus must be on His promises. May the Lord uplift our view...have the view of a bird surpassing the troubles below. May He bring us to higher ground. Ultimately, He is the GREAT I AM! What a full salvation we have in Him.