"You've Got It!"

“And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.” (1Jno.5:14-15)

         One of the popular catch phrases today, used as the assurance of a soon to be fulfilled request, is, “You’ve got it!” It’s designed to let the petitioner know that the request has been noted and will soon be satisfied. In some cases, the phrase becomes positively redundant, and, in my own experience, has sometimes turned out to be an empty promise! For that reason, I’ve been known to reply to an emphatic, “You’ve got it,” with an equally emphatic, “Not yet I haven’t!” To me, it would make more sense for the salesperson, waitress/waiter, or whoever to save the phrase for the moment I have the asked for item in my hand. Then—and only then—have I really gotten it.

         We, as believers, have been commanded by God to make and keep promises, with integrity unneedful of a well-defined vow (James 5:12). As the old-timers used to say, our word should be bond enough. Still, even this cannot prevent unforeseen circumstances from sabotaging our most sincere intentions. The ravages of Alzheimer’s may cause a mate who promised to love till death, forget that promise and even the person to whom it was made. Or a promise to return may be prevented by an accident or even death. Because of cases like these, and others like them, it’s easy to see why the apostle, James, points out the wisdom in saying, “If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that” (4:15).

         I know of only one Person whose promises can live up to the guarantee, “You’ve got it.” John assures us that anything we ask, that is in God’s will, is as good as done; because every blessing we will ever need has already been set aside for us, just waiting to be picked up (Eph. 1:3). And nothing can ever prevent us from having them, because the One who made the promise will never forget us (Isa.49:15); nor will He ever die.

Sixty years ago, I asked God for eternal life…and He replied with an emphatic, Divinely guaranteed, “You’ve got it!” It’s the word of a Gentleman, backed by Omnipotence.

   “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish…” (John 10:28)