The Road to Easter: God's Eternal PlanSample

The Promise

Have you ever been part of a plan without even realizing it?

Maybe a friend planned a surprise party for you, organizing every little detail while you went about your day, completely unaware. You might have felt a little left out or forgotten, but your friend was busy preparing everything—the menu, the guest list, the decorations. If only you’d known, right? The waiting would’ve been exciting instead of confusing.

In some ways, God’s plan of redemption felt like that—full of waiting. But here's the amazing part: even when we couldn’t see it, He was working. And in His kindness, God didn’t leave the world entirely in the dark. Right from the beginning, after sin entered the world, God made a promise—a promise of rescue, a Savior who would come and make everything right again. In Genesis 3:15, right after Adam and Eve’s heartbreaking decision to turn away from God, He makes this powerful declaration: the offspring of the woman will one day crush the serpent’s head. It’s the first hint of the cross. Jesus, the Savior, would defeat sin and death—even though He would be wounded in the process.

That promise didn’t fade. It grew.

In Genesis 22:8, when God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac, Abraham said with faith, “God himself will provide the lamb.” Even though Abraham had no idea how, he trusted God’s promise. And in that moment, God provided a ram. This wasn’t just about Isaac—it was a preview of what God would do for all of us: provide the ultimate Lamb, His Son, to take our place.

Generations later, God reaffirmed that promise in a way that must have been hard for the people to grasp, but full of hope. David, a shepherd turned king, had a simple but powerful life—he knew what it was like to feel small and insignificant, but God called him to something bigger. God promised David that his descendants would rule forever. At the time, it probably felt like just a royal dream, but we can see it for what it truly was—a promise pointing to Jesus, the King who would rule forever, not just over a nation, but over everything. When the angel spoke to Mary about her son, he reminded her, “The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” Even when things looked bleak and Israel seemed lost, God was quietly working behind the scenes, preparing for the perfect moment when Jesus, the true King, would come.

Then, there’s the moment when God, through the prophet Jeremiah, promised something even more radical—a new covenant. Not just more rules, not just a better way to live. This was personal, something much deeper. God promised:

"I will put my law in their mind and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.” (Jeremiah 31:33)

It’s a promise of complete transformation. No longer would we be bound by laws that couldn’t change us, but through Jesus, we’d receive a new heart—a heart that could truly follow God. Jesus, at the Last Supper, took this promise and made it real when He said,

“This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.” (Luke 22:20)

What a beautiful, personal promise that is.

All of these promises—the ones God spoke through generations of kings and prophets—were leading to one thing: Jesus. The promise of redemption was never forgotten, never abandoned. It was spoken, reaffirmed, and finally fulfilled in Christ.

And as we walk through this Easter season, think about how deeply personal all of this is. These weren’t just promises made to distant generations—they were made for you. For me. For all of us. The road to the cross was paved with promises, and each one was fulfilled in Jesus—for you.

Reflect

• How does knowing that God kept His promise in Jesus strengthen your faith in His promises for your life?
• In what areas do you need to trust God’s faithfulness today?
• Thank God for His unwavering faithfulness to His promises.