Not one of all the Lord’s good promises to Israel failed; every one was fulfilled.
Joshua 21:45

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READ: Joshua 21:9–45

There is nothing like the instant volatility of a child who is convinced their mom or dad didn’t follow through on something they said they would do. “But you prooooomised!” the child wails. The child’s protest comes from their disappointment, and parents try to explain: No, we cannot stop for ice cream as planned because a blizzard has begun blowing, and the road is closed. No, we cannot have chicken nuggets for dinner (for the fourth night in a row) because we’re out of nuggets, and it’s too late to go to the store. Yes, you may wear your new rain boots this afternoon—just not during dance class. But underneath a child’s cries of disappointment might be an unsettling fear that their parent cannot be trusted to follow through. Ouch!

Broken promises breed distrust—and they take time to repair. Words alone cannot rebuild broken trust. It takes forgiveness and changed behavior measured over time. For the nation of Israel, God had been a faithful Father, trustworthy from beginning to end. He had led them safely out of Egypt; cared for them day and night during their 40 years of wandering in the wilderness; and delivered them into the Promised Land. He followed through. He was dependable. He fulfilled every promise.

The Israelites’ story was far from over. No power in Canaan could dislodge them from the Promised Land, but there would be more battles to face and more challenges to overcome. They must learn to follow God—not as a wandering, warring nation but as a God-honoring people. As they settled into their new land, imagine the peace they must have felt, knowing their God could be trusted to fulfill His promises—every last one.

A STORY OF THEN & NOW

A Promise Fulfilled | Mansa W. | Willow Huntley

In 2012, a few months before I was married, I felt God whisper a name to my heart—Annayiah, meaning “God answered.” I believed I would someday give this name to a daughter. It felt like a promise. But after I got married, years passed without a child, and the pain of each cycle worsened. This promise felt more and more like a far-off dream.

While others around me conceived easily, I faced unexplained infertility. Tests were inconclusive, and the pain was relentless. Finally, a surgery in 2017 revealed severe endometriosis and fallopian tubes that were completely blocked. The doctor said natural pregnancy was impossible—only a miracle could change that. And yet, I held hope. We tried IVF. One cycle was canceled. Another ended in heartbreak. I underwent another intense surgery, and the prognosis grew grimmer—all of my organs were now damaged from the endometriosis. Despite the grim outlook, we tried IVF one more time. It failed. Still, I wanted to trust God for a miracle. During that season, my trust in God grew—not because I was getting what I prayed for (I wasn’t), but because I began to see how He provided for me in both the joys and disappointments of my life.

Time kept passing, and in September 2019, I felt a prompting to take a pregnancy test. It was positive! I ran out and bought a half a dozen more tests, just to confirm. And each test came back positive. Despite every diagnosis and every setback, I was pregnant. Impossible, but true! My son, Jeremiah, was born during the COVID-19 lockdown. Then came a second son, Nathan. What doctors said was impossible, God made possible.

God carried me through that long season of waiting. I had learned to trust God, whether or not He gave me a child. And when God fulfilled the promise I sensed from Him all those years ago, every disappointment became a testimony. And though He didn’t give us a daughter, the name Annayiah remains a gift to me, knowing that God did indeed answer.

DID YOU KNOW?

As followers of Jesus, we don’t place stock in possessing earthly land, as the Old Covenant people of Israel did; rather, we take stock in our heavenly home, which Jesus described to His disciples near the end of His life on earth: “My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am” (John 14:2–3). You can read more about our future home with God in Revelation 21–22.

A PRAYER

God, I can count on You to be a Good Father. No matter what battles I may face or what promises of Yours I cling to, I can rest knowing You fulfill Your promises—every last one. Amen.

FOR REFLECTION

Share a time when someone didn’t fulfill a promise. How did it damage your relationship? What did (or would) it take to heal from that unfulfilled promise?

Have you ever hoped for something from God that didn’t happen? How did that experience shape your understanding of His faithfulness?”