“…What greater rebellion…or insult to God can there be, than not to believe His promises?” ~Martin Luther
Are you ever guilty of this, of not believing God’s promises? I know I am.
Or maybe it’s more that I just don’t make God’s promises a priority in my spiritual walk. I realize that the Bible is full of them. Yet how often do I look for those promises, and claim them in my life?
I like how E.M. Bounds talks about mixing prayer with the promises of God.
“Promises, like the rain, are general. Prayer embodies, precipitates, and locates them for personal use. Prayer goes by faith into the great fruit orchard of God’s exceeding great and precious promises, and with hand and heart picks the ripest and richest fruit.”
As I find a promise of God in His Word, I can take that promise and pray it back to Him. I can ask Him for faith to believe that He will fulfill that promise, because He is faithful and never changes. (Hebrews 10:23; Numbers 23:19)
Here’s five promises of God that we can pray over our lives today.
1. “For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.” ~Psalm 84:11
If I am following God – with no known sin in my life and living according to the truth I know from the Bible – God will not keep from me anything that is for my good. He’s not holding out on me. Rather, He is blessing me in ways I see and in ways I can’t see with my human eyes.
Prayer: God, as I walk before you today, I’m trusting Your Word that You will not withhold anything from me that is good for me. I look forward to seeing all the good You have in store for my life.
2. “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering…” ~James 1:5-6a
I find comfort in this verse as we parent two teenagers! I’ve seen God directly answer this prayer. But the promise also applies to our marriages, our careers, handling our money…every area of our lives needs wisdom, and God promises it to us if we’ll just ask Him for it, and have faith that He’ll give it.
Prayer: God, I ask you for wisdom for this particular situation. Because You’ve promised to give wisdom when I ask for it, I believe that you will give me the words to say and show me the actions I need to take when the time comes.
3. “Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.” ~Jeremiah 29:12-13
If I pray, God will hear me. If I seek God, He will reveal Himself to me.
Prayer: I want to know you better, God. I’m going to the Bible to read and learn more about You. I believe that You will reveal Yourself to me because You have promised that I will find You when I search for You with my whole heart.
4. “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” ~Philippians 4:19
We often think of this as a financial need, which fits the context of the passage. But God supplies all of our needs – physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. His riches are not just monetary. He has riches of love, stores of grace, and an abundance of mercy.
Prayer: God, I have a specific need today. You have the ability to meet the need, and have promised to do that. Please let me see how You meet the need so that I can give you thanksgiving and praise.
5. “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” ~Matthew 11:28
Some days we just need rest. Maybe it’s a physical tiredness or an emotional exhaustion, but either way, God promises to give us rest.
Prayer: I’m weary today, God. I’m burdened with many cares. You’ve promised me rest. Let me feel that rest down in my soul.
I’m challenged by these thoughts to begin noticing and marking God’s promises as I come across them in my daily Bible reading. I’d like to start a journal page where I can keep an ongoing list of promises to refer back to on a regular basis.
What promise of God could you pray over your life today?
Related posts:
7 Promises of God to Carry Me Through the Week
How I Want God to Answer My Prayers
6 Ways to Encourage Yourself in the Lord
What great promises you have picked out! I pray the James 1 verse almost everyday; my children are always coming up with situations that I have no idea how to handle. 🙂
The Matthew 11 speaks to me, too, as I find myself so tired most days, and it’s not just physical. There’s emotional exhaustion from too much drama from my children, and mental tiredness from too many things in my mind to deal with. Thank you for the reminder that God promises us rest!
Oh, my, how I can relate to needing rest in my mind often – usually more than in my body!!
I definitely need to focus on praying back His promises! Especially after the jealousy I battled over spring break. :-/
I can definitely relate to that struggle!! I know God will give you grace to win that battle!
THANK YOU!!!!!