Only God’s Promises

Only God’s Promises

Reassure me of your promise, made to those who fear you. . . . Remember your promise to me; it is my only hope. Psalm 119:38, 49

Remember the TV quiz show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? The game offered contestants three lifelines if they didn’t know the answer to a question. The first lifeline was to phone a friend, the second was to poll the audience, and the third option was to have the producers narrow the possible answers down to two, creating a fifty-fifty chance. If I were playing, I’d want God to be my “phone a friend” lifeline! I would gladly give up the other two options if I could phone God anytime I had a question.

I know that’s how Allen must have felt. When I walked into his hospital room, he turned and said, “Dr. Anderson, the oncologist told me that I have a fifty-fifty chance of survival if I do chemo. But here’s the thing. I had a friend who had the same kind of cancer, and he did the chemo and then got very sick and died anyway. I’m not sure I want to go through what he did. Do you think I could get a second or third opinion and go with the majority vote?”

The oncologist had given him a fifty-fifty chance, and now Allen wanted to poll an audience of other oncologists to see what the majority would say. I guess that made me the “phone a friend” option. Allen was using all of his lifelines, but his concern was more important than any game show question. The answer he chose could determine the outcome of his life.

“Allen, I think you’re smart to ask all these questions and get as much information as you can. We can get a second opinion and a third if that’s helpful. The Bible says that with many counselors there is much wisdom. But let me just say that we don’t know anything for certain. Even something that sounds as mathematical as a fifty-fifty chance is only a guess. The numbers come from large population studies, and even there we see notable variations. I recommend that we look at the odds optimistically and pray that God will intervene and heal you 100 percent, not 50 percent.”

Though medical science can make mathematical predictions, our hope isn’t in science; it’s in the God of hope.

TODAY’S RX

God alone knows best, and his promises bring hope.

God, what a comfort it is knowing I’m saved by your grace. Because of your Son, my debt is paid in full—not half or any other amount. You have preserved my life and given me hope.