Through these things He has bestowed on us His precious and most magnificent promises... (2 Peter 1:4, NET).

In my childhood, my siblings and I would often sing a song entitled "I Am a Promise."  It's got a catchy tune and an uplifting message.  Ever since, the idea of "promise" directs my mind forward to what's possible, to a sense of potential.  Promises move our thoughts beyond our present circumstances to what could be in the future.  When Peter speaks of God's promises, he's directing believers to more than just positive thinking or being optimistic about what's ahead.  He's inviting us to avail ourselves of divine declarations that God Himself has given us, assurances that are precious and powerful beyond measure.

SOURCE

"Through these things He has bestowed on us..." 2 Peter 1:4a

Let's be clear from the very beginning.  The promises of the Bible are of divine origin.  They're not pledges that imaginative people have simply fancied about what God will do.  They're not great hopes we just dream up for ourselves.  God's promises are from Him and for us.  Peter specifies that the promises we've been graciously given have come to us "through these things," the glory and excellence of God he had pointed out in the previous verse (2 Pet. 1:3).  In other words, what God assures us about our future is based on something much better than our selfish desires or limited perspective.  

They're based on the glorious character and eternal perspective of God Himself.  

Whether we're going through junk mail or ads on TV, our minds often have to sort through a variety of offers, pledges, and guarantees.  What we end up choosing has everything to do with the trustworthiness of who is making the promise.  Peter wants us to be certain that the promises of the Bible come from who God is and what He values in the grand scheme of eternity.  They flow from One who in every way excels all others.  And for that reason, God's promises can be trusted above all others.

VALUE

"...He has bestowed on us His precious and most magnificent promises..." 2 Peter 1:4b

We sometimes use the word "precious" to describe metals or stones that are extremely rare and hard to find.  But God's promises are abundant in measure and threaded all throughout the Scriptures.  What makes them precious isn't their paucity but their price.  Do God's promises come with a price tag?  Yes -- not a price that we must pay, but one that He has already paid for us.  Listen to how the apostle Paul describes the certainty of God's promises in light of what Jesus has done for us:  

For all the promises of God find their Yes in Him [Jesus Christ]. That is why it is through Him that we utter our Amen to God for His glory. 2 Corinthians 1:20, ESV

In other words, Jesus' death and resurrection positively guarantee the fulfillment of all God's intentions to save us, lead us, provide for us, you name it!  Jesus truly has paid it all!  That's why these promises are so precious.  Do you sense the infinite value of God's promises that He would ransom His own life to fulfill them?  They're much more than nice sayings or warm fuzzies.  They are words of life to be daily sought after as for great treasure, both to be hidden in our hearts and eagerly shared with others.

MAGNITUDE

"...and most magnificent promises, so that by means of what was promised you may become partakers of the divine nature" 2 Peter 1:4c, NET

I like that phrase, "most magnificent."  If read out loud, you may naturally speak it with a booming voice.  The promises of God are weighty, full of magnitude in the most superlative sense.  And that cannot be overstated.  Peter stirs us to consider the scope of God's promises by turning our attention to the end result of these divine assurances:  becoming "partakers of the divine nature."  Go ahead, read that again.  

I wonder if we rightly appreciate the magnitude of God's promises.  Clothing?  Check.  Daily bread?  Check.  Never forsaken?  Yes.  Sins forgiven?  Thank You, Lord!  But what about this one:  partaker of the divine nature?  

In Christ, God supplies all our need in the most complete sense imaginable.  

He promises to provide for us materially, emotionally, relationally, and spiritually to the extent that we become sharers of the very life of Christ.  Jesus saves not just in the sense of covering our sin but rescuing us from it.  In the same way that He "became sin for us," God has promised to entirely transform us and make us "become the righteousness of God in Him" (2 Cor. 5:21)!  When we pray the promises of God in our lives, let's pray the full scope of what is ours in Christ.  Yes, let's pray for food, for provision, for direction and decision-making.  But let's also lean into the bigger picture of God's eternal purposes for us -- the miracle of heart transformation and oneness with Him.

Where does your mind go as you think about possibility and potential?  What lies ahead may be colored with uncertainty or anxiety in our imaginations, but I believe God wants to speak His life-giving promises over our tomorrows.  May we each learn to trust those promises because we know the character of the One who gives them.  May we eagerly seek for and cherish those promises in light of Christ's sacrificial love to fulfill them.  And may we daily experience the full scope of those promises to make us sharers in the very life of Christ!