Praying the Promises

 When my sons were little, if I promised to take them to the park to play when I got home they were quick to remind me once I walked in the door. They took me at my word. No matter how tired I was they expected me to keep my promise. That is what a good father does. 

God is a much greater Father than any of us. He has made many promises. We are not in the wrong if we expect Him to honor what He says. I realize there are many variables such as God's timing and God's will to take into consideration. There are still promises to be accessed. Promises to claim. It is sad that God wants to do things for His children that we never even ask. 

The more I learn to pray the more I lean on praying what God promises. Praying His word is much more fruitful than praying anything I can come up with in my mind. There are so many. Abounding promises like I Jn 5:14-15. Others like Mark 11:23-24, James 5:16, John 14:14, Jn 15:7, Ps 37:4, Phil 4:19, Matt 6:25-33, and so many others. 

We take I Jn 1:9 to heart. We confess sins and believe God will forgive them. We take Romans 5:8-9 to heart believing Jesus died to declare us blameless before God when we believe on Him for salvation. Why would we not take the rest of God's truth to heart as well. If we could learn to harness our faith with the promises of God and hitch our prayer wagon to those, I believe we would all pray more powerfully and effectively. 

This necessitates that we actually know what His word includes. How can we pray promises we have never read or studied. For people who are crippled by fear Is 41:10 is a great promises. For people covered in anxiety try Phil 4:6-7. For those who are despondent Ps 42:5 is useful. His word is filled with promises packed with truth. May we stand on those truths and pray in the authority God has granted us through His assurance that we can come boldly before His throne of grace to obtain mercy and help in our time of need. Heb 4:16.