The Promise Box

When I had finished my ministerial training, the first church of which I was the minister was in Coventry. One of the church members was a retired lady, who told me that she had a promise box which she wanted to show me. I had heard of promise boxes, but had never seen one, so I was intrigued to see this one. Promise boxes are about the size of a small biscuit tin, and contain a selection of verses from the Bible, each one printed on a piece of paper which is then rolled up and inserted into the box. I am not sure whether you can still buy them today from Christian bookshops - possibly you can. But their purpose has always been that every morning you take out one of the verses, read it, and then let it be God’s promise to you for the rest of the day – a great idea.

However, this church member told me that although she tried very hard not to do so, she frequently found herself pulling out one particular verse, which unfortunately she did not like. When I asked her which verse it was, she gave me the roll of paper on which it was printed, and it turned out to be Isaiah 46:4 in the Authorised Version translation: “Even to your old age I am he; and even to hoar hairs will I carry you.” (In the New International Version the verse is translated: “Even to your old age and grey hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you.”) She never told me why she was not happy with it, but I have always wondered whether it was because she did not like being reminded that she was getting older, or because the old-fashioned word ‘hoar’ meaning ‘greyish white’ sounds just like the word ‘whore’. Sadly, the result was that she was not able to enjoy the wonderful promise in the verse, namely that God is always there for us, however old we are, even well into retirement.

The Bible is full of wonderful promises, each one capable of being claimed by and applied to all Christian believers. For example, Joshua 1:5: “As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Psalm 91:1,2: “Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty…He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” John 17:15 (Jesus’ prayer for his disciples): “My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.” And a favourite and frequently quoted promise these days is Jeremiah 29:11: “I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

These examples, like all the promises of the Bible, are indeed a real blessing, and because I myself am now well into retirement, Bible promises certainly encourage me, and will encourage you also.

Howard Gordon