The Promised Land

Yvonne Morgan

5 years ago

“Rose Garden” is a song written in 1967 by American singer-songwriter Joe South. The song’s chorus explains;

“I beg your pardon

I never promised you a rose garden

Along with the sunshine

There’s gotta be a little rain sometime.”

The writer penned these observations in regards to a relationship situation. But, the sentiment can apply to many areas of life, including our faith. So often, I believe, many of us expect life to be a rose garden once we accept Christ as our Savior, but we quickly learn that is not always the case. Does God promise us a life that is all rosy and perfect?

The Israelites

In the Old Testament, we find the Israelites, who God’s chose as His people. Their stories show us a life full of hardships. But, many of their problems stem from a lack of faith and belief in God’s promises to them. As a result, they gave up when the going got tough. Instead of seeking more of God when life was hard, they sought ways to fix the problems on their own. They went from God-relent to self-relent. Thus demonstrating their faith to only be a fair-weather faith. Are we any different today?

The Promised Land

For herders like the Jews, having a stable home of their own would be a true blessing. The promised land offered them a place to rest from their continual wandering. But this promise came with conditions. First, God commanded that Israel had to trust and follow Him. Second, God demanded faithful worship of Him. Even then, they would not find an easy time once they settled in their new home.

Not a Rose Garden

Before the Israelites entered the promised land, Moses sent spies to survey the land (Numbers 13 & 14). Most of the spies reported a land filled with giants and many dangers. Two of them had a different story to tell. Joshua and Caleb understood that inhabiting the promised land would be impossible without God at their helm.

“8 If the LORD is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. 9 Only do not rebel against the LORD. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will devour them. Their protection is gone, but the LORD is with us. Do not be afraid of them.”
(Numbers 14:8-9)

Our Promised Life

So if God does not promise us a rose garden as His followers, what does He promise us? Our Bible tells us all about the the promises of God. There are also many demonstrations of how He fulfilled His vows to His people. But first, we must believe in Christ and accept Him as our Savior to benefit from these promises. These assurances provide us comfort, rest, and a knowledge that God will be with us even when the path is rocky. We don’t get a rose garden, but we get the Master Gardner, who will keep the garden beautiful no matter the season.

God Promised

Here are some of my favorite promises of God:

God promises to give you rest. “Then Jesus said, ‘Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.’” (Matthew 11:28-30 NLT)
God promises to take care of all your needs. “And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19 NLT)
God promises to answer your prayers. “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” (Matthew 7:7 ESV)
God promises to work everything out for your good. “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” (Romans 8:28 NLT)
God promises to be with you. “I will not fail you or abandon you. This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:5, 9 NLT)
God promises to protect you. “This I declare about the LORD: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him.” (Psalm 91:2 NLT)
God promises you everlasting life. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16 ESV)

The Promised Rose Garden

We do have a rose garden life to look forward to in eternity. One day, we will graduate to our heavenly home to spend eternity with God. And, from all the Bible tells us about heaven, I believe I will finally have the rosy life I so long for daily. “But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.” (Romans 6:22 NIV)

Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father. Help me to remain faithful even amid trials. I know you did not promise me an easy life, so help me remember all your promises so I can stay strong in my faith. Let Your promises replace my fears and doubts. Thank you for the assurance of my heavenly home with You. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

Do you need prayer? I would love to pray for you. Submit your prayer request on my website at https://yvonne-morgan.com/submit-your-prayer-request-here/