Excerpt from ‘A Greater Story’, by Sam Collier

What the Bible is saying is that when God makes a promise to us, he can’t not keep it. His promises will be so.

If I could offer you a word of encouragement regarding surrendering your story to God’s greater story, it’s that the feeling you have when someone keeps a promise made to you is the feeling you will experience every day. When you abandon your self-spun plans for your life and gratefully accept the plans that God has for you instead, you activate the promises that God has made for those who earnestly seek his will. He has promised that you will share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption (2 Pet. 1:4). He has promised you a future and a hope (Jer. 29:11). He has promised you power and strength (Isa. 40:29–31). He has promised that your suffering will not be in vain . . . that it will produce in you endurance, and character, and hope (Rom. 5:3–5). He has promised to give rest to your weary soul (Matt. 11:28–29). He has promised you peace of mind and heart (John 14:27). He has promised to supply all your needs from his glorious riches in Christ Jesus (Phil. 4:19). He has promised “overwhelming victory . . . through Christ, who loved us” (Rom. 8:37).

He has promised that nothing can ever separate us from his love. “Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 8:38–39).

And as we lean into God’s presence and power . . . I mean, lean so hard that if he were to shift his weight, we’d topple to the ground . . . we put those promises to work in our lives.

(By the way, worry not. You’re good. God never shifts his stance.)

The apostle Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians:

As surely as God is faithful, our word to you does not waver

between “Yes” and “No.” For Jesus Christ, the Son of God,

does not waver between “Yes” and “No.” He is the one whom

Silas, Timothy, and I preached to you, and as God’s ultimate

“Yes,” he always does what he says. For all of God’s promises

have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding “Yes!” And

through Christ, our “Amen” (which means “Yes”) ascends

to God for his glory.

It is God who enables us, along with you, to stand firm

for Christ. He has commissioned us, and he has identified

us as his own by placing the Holy Spirit in our hearts as the

first installment that guarantees everything he has promised

us. (1:18–22)

God’s promises for us are yes.

God’s promises for us are amen, which means “let it be so!”

Funny story: I was interviewing Lysa TerKeurst for my podcast recently, and in response to one of my questions, she got so revved up that we had church right there on the show. I let her roll as long as she wanted to roll, and when she came up for air, I was hollering and amen-ing her left and right. This is a black church tradition, giving you an “Amen!” when you bring it strong. Why? Because we’re wanting that thing you’re preaching to be so, to be so, to be so!

What the Bible is saying is that when God makes a promise to us, he can’t not keep it. His promises will be so,

will be so,

will be so.

His promises are yes . . . and amen.

Excerpted from A Greater Story by Sam Collier. Published by Baker Books, a division of Baker Publishing Group, ©2020. Used by permission.