Daily Prayer Devotional for Women and Men

Devotional

(From Scripture Union)

TWO UNCHANGEABLE THINGS

Pray

Thank you, Father, that all of your promises are “Yes” in Christ and that you make me stand firm in him. (2 Cor. 2:20, 21)

Read

HEBREWS 6:13–20

For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway. The Certainty of God’s Promise 13 When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself, 14 saying, “I will surely bless you and give you many descendants.”[a] 15 And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised. 16 People swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument. 17 Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. 18 God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged. 19 We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, 20 where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.

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Footnotes Hebrews 6:14 Gen. 22:17

Meditate

Consider

Ask God to give you hearing ears to hear his Word to you today and to let it discern your thoughts and attitudes.

Think Further

The last Greek word in verse 12 is ‘promises,’1 a noun that appears twice in these verses alongside the verb ‘to promise.’ God’s promise to Abraham is one of the unchangeable things. The other one is God’s oath. After Abraham and Isaac returned from Abraham’s would-be sacrifice of Isaac, God reiterated his earlier promise of numerous descendants and blessing for the nations and, to make it doubly sure, he confirmed the promise with an oath.2

The point of this example appears in verse 18. Abraham persevered with faith and patience and ultimately received what God had promised. His example is given to encourage the readers (and that includes us) firmly to take hold of the hope set before us, that is the hope of entering God’s rest.3 This hope is sure, because it is anchored in Jesus who has entered God’s throne room as our forerunner on our behalf and is seated at the right hand of God. That Jesus is our forerunner indicates that eventually, with faith and patience, we shall receive what God has promised and attain to God’s rest.

One way to help us understand this rather complex and strange- sounding argument is to remember that the readers of Hebrews were facing persecution and were tempted to give up. While the writer was confident about their faithfulness, he still needed to encourage them to persevere. He drew his encouragement from the faith of Abraham, who received what God had promised, from the example of Jesus, who endured suffering and is now exalted in God’s presence, and from God, who cannot lie. Our God is the God who cannot lie and who makes promises (sometimes confirming them with an oath). Our God is faithful and will always give what he has promised.

Apply

Ask God to fill the hearts and minds of those who are called to suffer for the name of Jesus with hope in our promise-keeping God.

Pray

Father, I ask for your protection over those who are fleeing from danger, especially those who are suffering for the sake of the gospel. Please make yourself, their true and eternal safety, known to them in new and profound ways.