The dictionary defines a promise as: a statement that tells somebody that you will definitely do or not do something. God’s promises, therefore, are His statements that tell us what He will do or not do. Our God has made many promises to His people. They are recorded in His book—the Bible. In fact, 2 Peter 1:3 describes them as,”…very great and precious promises…”. However, in order to enjoy the fulfilment of those promises in our lives, we need to know and understand their nature and purposes.
THE NATURE OF GOD’S PROMISES
    God’s promises are usually or mostly conditional. In other words, their fulfilment depends on the faith and obedience of the recipient. God designed our relationship with Him in such a way that, without Him, we cannot and without us, He will not. The above principle solves the mystery of many unfulfilled promises God made to His people. Dr T L Osborne said, “the blessing of God can be claimed, only where the will of God is known, trusted and acted upon”.   We should, therefore, find out what conditions are required of us to meet in order to see God’s promises fulfilled in our lives.
    Man cannot adjust, modify or hasten God’s promises into fulfilment. Abraham and Sarah attempted doing it with Ishmael and discovered how futile the effort was (Gen 17:17-19). God has a timing for every promise He makes. Like Abraham and Sarah, we face the temptation to attempt to help God. This usually results from the fact that most of God’s promises to us  seem unlikely to be fulfilled, given the prevailing circumstances. However, we should always remember that God is infinite and not finite like us.
    You can delay or even abort God’s promises for your life. This is an important truth we should never forget. This can happen by your actions or inaction. Eli the priest is a case in point. God had promised him and his father’s house a lasting priesthood. However, he allowed his sons to constitute a nuisance in God’s temple, without calling them to order. God’s verdict on his lineage are recorded in the following words of the Bible, “Therefore the Lord God of Israel declares, ‘I did indeed say that your house and the house of your father should walk before Me forever’; but now the Lord declares, ‘Far be it from Me-for those who honor Me I will honor, and those who despise Me will be lightly esteemed” (1Sam 2:30).
    The promises of God do not depend on natural circumstances to come to pass. The fulfilment of God’s promises is independent of the prevailing situation. Elisha’s prophecy of an overnight economic turnaround proves this point. Israel had been under siege for a considerable length of time, resulting in famine in the land. The famine was so severe that two women resorted to eating their own children. Though they only ate one of them, since the other woman had hidden her own son. To cut the story short, Elisha prophesied saying, “…Hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord: ‘Tomorrow about this time a seah of fine flour shall be sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley for a shekel, at the gate of Samaria.’ ”(2Ki 7:1). In spite of how humanly impossible it was for that prophecy to be fulfilled, everything God had promised happened (see 2Ki 7:18).
    Finally, only God can fulfil His promises. No human might or ingenuity can cause a promise from God to come to pass, apart from God’s involvement. The Bible says, “you who call yourselves citizens of the holy city and rely on the God of Israel– the LORD Almighty is his name: I foretold the former things long ago, my mouth announced them and I made them known; then suddenly I acted, and they came to pass” (Isa 48:2,3 NIV ). It is clear then that until God acts, whatever He has promised cannot happen.
THE PURPOSES OF GOD’S PROMISES
    God makes promises to man for the following reasons:
– to reveal His will to mankind
– to enlist man’s cooperation or partnership with Him(2Cor 4:13) 
– to provide an authentic basis for man’s faith(Gen 21:1NIV)
– to enable human beings participate in the Divine nature(2Pet 1:4 NIV )
– to bring glory to Himself(2Cor 1:20 NIV )
    In conclusion, therefore, we should search the Scriptures for God’s promises  for us and for Biblical characters, whose examples of having experienced the fulfilment of God’s promises in their lives, serve as instructions as well as encouragement to us, in our quest to also experience the fulfilment of His promises in our lives. The Bible says, “Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith” (Heb 13:7 NIV). Shalom.