I remember, vividly, as a little girl, when friends would break their promises to me. I remember a neighbor promising me that she would play with me on Saturday. When Saturday came, I hurried over to her house and she was already playing with someone else. "But you promised," I pleaded...and then, dejected, I turned and slumped my way back home. Broken promises hurt.
Perhaps your spouse promised to love, honor, and cherish you until death did you part? Only, he stopped loving you or found someone else, and promises disappeared like vapors in the wind. Broken promises hurt.
Human beings break promises every day.
I have to give it to Jacob, in the Bible, when He boldly goes before God. One might say that Jacob had "chutzpah". In other words, Jacob had some nerve. He had supreme self-confidence to go before the Lord and to remind Him of just what He had promised.
Jacob's conversation might have gone something like this, "Lord, remember that promise you made to me? Well, I'm here to call you on it!" Pretty gutsy, huh? I probably wouldn't have been so bold for fear the Lord would strike me down, but God did just the opposite. He blessed Jacob because of his boldness. Wow!
Jacob's boldness reminds me that God wants me to pray His promises. His promises build my faith and give me hope. They help me to remember God's kindness and give me strength to go on. God's Word makes it clear that His promises can be trusted.
"God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?" (Numbers 23:19)
God always keeps His promises.
Like Jacob, I want to pray what "you have said." After all, you promised, Lord!
You said, "I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it." (John 14:13-14)
**Asking in the Lord's name means asking in accordance with His being and will.**
For a long time I have been praying a repetitive prayer for my adult children. I know that if this prayer was answered it would bring glory to the Father, and not just comfort to me. I admit that I forget to ask in the Lord's name and my prayers can lack faith and not be very fervent after awhile.
You said Lord, Whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours." (Mark 11:24)
It's hard at times to hang on to God's promise that "everything is possible for him who believes." (Mark 9:23)
Thank you, Lord, that I can rely on your Word because you are reliable!
You said about your Word, "It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it." (Isaiah 55:11)
Praise that I can trust in God's Word. Help me, Lord, to diligently study the Scriptures in order to know you better and love you more.
Then I will keep finding promises to pray, and praise you all the more when you keep them!
In Jesus' precious name I pray, Amen.
What about you? Are you lacking boldness to go before the Lord in prayer? Do you believe that if you pray the Lord's promises, He will be faithful and reliable? Dare to trust, and pray His promises right now and wait expectantly for His response...(His timing is sovereign).
Be blessed...
Ps. Next week I will be the guest writer at (in)courage - a daily, devotional blog published by DaySpring. My post will appear on Aug. 7th. here and at (in)courage. I hope you'll stop back then?! It's a re-write on a subject that resonated with you, my wonderful readers.
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