The Heart That Delays The Promise

The Heart That Delays The Promise

This life we live is not for the faint-hearted. It’s not for those whose minds are set on the wrong things. And if we're truly honest with ourselves, anyone who seeks what is not in line with God's will is only setting themselves up for trouble.

To be fair, life is not as complicated as we make it out to be. It’s actually quite simple, quite straightforward. It’s the in-betweens that shake us, shift our focus, and change our direction—pulling us toward something that’s just... not for us.

God has made many promises to us as His children—and to you, as His child. But why do these promises take so long to be fulfilled? What’s with the delays? What’s with the limitations? Why is there so much pain all around us—so much pain in our lives? We can both agree that all this pain feels unnecessary, especially when we consider the power that is God. So why are the promises lagging behind?

What makes the Word of God true—what makes it powerful—is that God is always faithful to it. In this relationship between us and God, everything on His side is as it should be. The real problem lies on our side—with us, the Christians, with us, the human beings. More specifically, the problem lies in our hearts.

Let’s take a look at today’s proof text so we can get a better handle on exactly what I’m talking about:

Then Israel made a vow to the Lord, and said, “If You will indeed deliver this people into my hand, then I will utterly destroy their cities.”

And the Lord listened to the voice of Israel and delivered up the Canaanites, and they utterly destroyed them and their cities. So the name of that place was called Hormah.

Then they journeyed from Mount Hor by the Way of the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; and the soul of the people became very discouraged on the way.1

And the people spoke against God and against Moses: “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die2 in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and our soul loathes this worthless bread.”3

So the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and many of the people of Israel died.4

— Numbers 251:2–6 (NKJV)

Now, in this passage, we see the Israelites making a vow with God. They said, “God, if You do this, we’ll do that.” And of course, God agreed.

As you well know, for a vow to be complete, both sides need to come to the table. That means whatever each side committed themselves to must be fulfilled for the vow to come to fruition. But the vow doesn’t end when both parties have completed what they vowed to do. What resulted from the vow must also be maintained by the same Spirit that established it—the Spirit that sealed the vow in the first place—for the results to stand the test of time.

If Israel needed God in order to win against the Canaanites, does it not stand to reason that they would also need God to keep the victory? They couldn’t win it on their own. So why would they believe they could keep it on their own?

Things were great. They were victorious—praising God, worshipping Him, thanking Him. But it wasn’t until the season of good times had passed, until they entered a season of challenges, that their true colors began to show.

They went as far as ridiculing manna—a blessing none of them deserved, a miracle no human strength could produce, something God provided knowing they needed it. What’s interesting is that this entire time, they had no complaints. When things were fine, when life was easy, when they were winning battles and conquering lands, the manna tasted good.

But the moment hardship came, the moment trials arose, suddenly the manna tasted bitter. It wasn’t good enough anymore.

Now, the Bible tells us that God did not let this slide. In fact, His response was swift and terrifying. He sent fiery serpents—venomous snakes—into their midst, and thousands of Israelites perished that day from snakebites.

It was only then, after witnessing the weight of their rebellion and the wrath that followed, that their hearts changed. They went to Moses, desperate and remorseful, begging him to intercede on their behalf—to go before God and ask for forgiveness.

And God, being rich in mercy, heard their plea. He accepted their repentance and provided a way out—a way for life to spring forth even in the midst of death.

Now, let’s bring this home.

When I—when you—when we accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we entered into a vow. Like any vow, it was two-sided. There’s my side, and there’s God’s side.

Stipulated in that vow was this: when I accepted Jesus, God would become my Savior, my Healer, my Deliverer. He would be my Guide, my Protector, and my Provider. And I can say with absolute certainty—God has delivered. Without a shadow of doubt, He has fulfilled His side of the vow in my life, in your life, in all our lives.

But the problem lies on our side.

When we accepted Jesus, what came with that vow was a responsibility—that we would live according to the Word of God. That we would be rooted in His Word, guided by His Spirit, and obedient to His will. That was our side of the vow.

And yet, though God fulfilled His side—saving us, protecting us, providing for us—when it came time for us to fulfill ours, that’s where we lost it.

God gave me a job—something I had prayed for, struggled for, waited for. But now, here I am, complaining about my colleagues, frustrated with my boss.

God blessed me with marriage—something I longed for. Yet here I am, complaining about my partner—how they don’t do this, how they do that, how they mistreat me.

And when I look at the world around me, I find myself saying, “It’s not fair.”

How is it that wicked people seem to succeed? How is it that people who mock God appear to move forward while I’m stuck in one place?

It’s not fair, right?

But maybe—just maybe—the issue isn’t with God. Maybe it’s that we have not been faithful to our side of the vow.

The real problem is the grumbling that lives in our hearts—the complaining, the quiet negativity, the thoughts that only seem to find their way to the surface when things get difficult.

When everything is going well, our thoughts are positive, our words are full of praise. But when things start to fall apart, when life gets hard, when the storm hits—that’s when the truth comes out. That’s when we start to see what’s really inside of us.

It’s not that these thoughts are created by our challenges. No—they were already there, hidden beneath the surface, covered by comfort, masked by peace. But the moment hardship comes, it shakes the soil of our hearts and uproots what was buried deep within.

This is one of the major reasons why God allows challenges. He doesn’t bring them to destroy us, but to reveal us—to show us who we really are.

God could have easily provided food for the Israelites without pause or interruption. He could have sustained them effortlessly, without any hunger or discomfort. But He didn’t—because He wanted to reveal the truth about their hearts.

They thought they were walking with God. They thought they were aligned with His Spirit and His Word. But because God is a God of truth, He exposed what was hidden. He showed them that their hearts were not with Him—they were against Him.

And that’s the same mirror He holds up to us today. Our challenges don’t change who we are; they reveal who we’ve been all along.

It sounds simple, even basic, but this grumbling is one of the most dangerous habits we have as Christians. The Bible teaches us that this negativity is dangerous to the point of death. We saw how thousands of Israelites lost their lives—all because of the grumbling that was rooted in their hearts.

Let's be honest with ourselves. Do you have the power to give yourself life? After all, no one knows what tomorrow may bring. Who wakes you up in the morning? Who gives you every single day you have ever received? That job, those children, that marriage, that business, that good health, the victories, the healings, the deliverances—where do all those things come from? No lab in this world is capable of manufacturing even one of these blessings.

Have you ever been in a hard situation where you ended up asking yourself this one simple question: "Why me?"

Well, why not you?

The moment you ask yourself that question, just know that the devil has you exactly where he wants you. When Joseph was betrayed by his brothers—his own siblings, his own flesh and blood—he never asked, "Why me?" He kept the faith. When the boat that Jonah was riding on faced a storm, Jonah did not complain because he knew these were the consequences of his disobedience. God even went as far as to teach Jonah a lesson on complaining about things over which he had no power. If God deemed it so, who are you to complain?

Complaining can be as simple as unforgiveness, doubt, worry, or fear. Do not underestimate these things; they are very dangerous.

And how do we know that these things are dangerous? Because the Bible tells us to forgive (Matthew 6:14-15). That is how I know unforgiveness is dangerous. The Bible tells us not to fear (2 Timothy 1:7). That is how I know fear is dangerous. The Bible tells me not to worry (Matthew 6:34). That is how I know worry is very dangerous.

To be a friend of God is to forgive. To be an enemy of God is to hold grudges. So, where do you stand? Do some self-introspection. We all have complaints. We all have things hidden in our hearts—some obvious, and some hidden even from ourselves. The most dangerous ones are the hidden ones, slowly eating you up. But what is revealed can be overcome.

Look at the Israelites. Those grumblings were hidden in their hearts. It wasn't until they were exposed that they could be dealt with.

Check yourself. The challenges will come; they are guaranteed. They are not sent to destroy you, but to reveal you. Will they reveal a heart that is faithful to its vow, or one that has forgotten the God who provided the victory, the manna, and the very breath in your lungs?

The state of your heart, and your faithfulness to the vow, is yours to guard.