I Promise {Coffee for Your Heart}

(via Holley Gerth)

(Photo by Tara Gourley)

This week's prompt from Holley Gerth is, "No matter what happens, you're going to be okay because ..." Celebrating with this sweet woman as her new book has just hit the stores. Pick up You're Going to Be Okay asap - you won't regret it, I promise. 
These words are honestly what I need to hear on those days when the tears just won't stop falling. "You're going to be okay" is adequate in itself, but when someone dares remind me that there are certain things I can always depend on and cling to? This is what my heart needs. But darlin', I'm not speaking to my heart today ... I'm talking to yours.
Hear you me:
No matter what happens, you're going to be okay because ... He has promised. Think about that for a decade, please. The word "promise" is not one He takes lightly, and neither should you. To paraphrase the good old dictionary definition, a promise is the declaration or assurance that something will be done, or something will happen. Now do not breeze this over. Our world has taken those words, "declaration" and "assurance" and stomped all over them. When you hear of a promise nowadays, chances are, you hear of it simply because it was broken. Take a second, girl, and remember that God never breaks His promises. Not a one. I know it's hard to imagine that, but it's so true.
No matter what happens, you're going to be okay because He is with you. "Behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:20) If you feel like you're all alone, He is with you. If the pressures of this world seem to rip you apart, He is with you. If no one understands you, He is with you. He is the One we can depend on. "It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man." (Psalm 118:8) "The Lord your God goes with you, He will never leave you nor forsake you." (Deuteronomy 31:6) Who on this earth could make such promises?
You're going to be okay because He is in control. Nothing in this world is too big for Him to handle; there is nothing that can faze His perfect plan. "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." (Matthew 19:26) "And I am sure of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ." (Philippians 1:6) "Take heart, I have overcome the world." (John 16:33) "'For I know the plans I have for you', says the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.'" (Jeremiah 29:11) When your plans fall through, He is in control. When your dreams are crushed, He is in control. When all hope seems lost, He is in control. No matter what.
He loves you. Take hold of this promise. Write it on your hand. You cannot dare to forget it. I know, for I've tried. "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:38-39) "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, emphasis mine) This is love, people. Crazy, radical love. When you have a love like this, what can stop you? What can harm you? The worst thing this world has to threaten us with is death, and that simply takes us into our Savior's loving arms even faster. When you just can't get through the day, He loves you. When the night seems so long, He loves you. When the voices in your head and in your life try to drown you with  negativity, He loves you.
He cares about you. Even about the little things that worry you, but somehow seem insignificant. They matter to Him. You matter to Him. This world can do nothing to you that He doesn't know of and care about. "Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares about you." (1 Peter 5:7) "You have collected all my tears in Your bottle. You have recorded each one in Your book." (Psalm 56:8) Your God doesn't just know when you cry, He collects those tears. He writes down every single tear you cry in His book. Do you need any further evidence that you matter to God? I have been convinced of this. When it seems like life can just never get better, He cares about you. When you cry yourself to sleep at night, He cares about you. When you just feel broken and you're not sure why, He cares about you.
Did I reference enough Scriptures in this post? It may seem like a lot, but it was intentional, I promise. (See what I did there?) These are the verses that I cling to when life gets tough. These are what keeps me sane when everything is going wrong. And now, I'm passing them on to you. I gave each reference for a reason: so you can find them. Grab your Bible, flip to each passage that resonated with that beautiful soul of yours, and mark your territory on that passage. Claim these promises. Underline them in ink. Trace them with your fingers. Mark them with Post-It Notes. Sign your name next to them, and tell the Lord that this is what you want. This is your inheritance. Breathe in His truth like it's just that: air. Then exhale it into the lives of others.
You're going to be okay.