Hi Friends,
There are so many amazing promises in the Bible from God to His children. The one I hold on to white knuckled is this one and it makes a great simple, powerful prayer:
“because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’” Hebrews 13:5b NIV
Praying God’s promises right back to Him can serve three important purposes. Using this awesome promise above as an example, the first benefit is simply to remind myself what God has already said He will do for me. It reminds me that God is Faithful, even when I am not. It reminds me that I can count on Him to always be with me through the good times and tough ones. It reminds me that He is trustworthy and that He loves me beyond my ability to understand. When God promises me something, the pledge is based on His flawless character, not mine. It teaches me to actually do that which I am supposed to be doing, namely not leaving nor forsaking Him! When God promises me something, He desires me to learn to do the same thing, to always be with Him and never abandon our growing relationship. Praying His promises keeps me growing to be more and more like Him.
When I pray God’s promises back to Him, the second benefit is the encouragement I receive to stay the course. This goes along with what I was saying above. If I know that God will never leave me nor forsake me, then I begin to never leave nor forsake Him, more and more. It encourages me to continue to seek His Plan for my life as I grow spiritually. It encourages me to be stronger than I thought I could be. It encourages me to follow Him, even when I don’t, yet, see where He is leading me. And when I stray, ‘cause I will, praying His promises brings me right back into fellowship with Him so we can continue moving forward. Knowing that God desires to answer His promises inspires me to know Him deeper and make Him known further. Praying His promises keeps me growing to be more and more like Him.
When I pray God’s promises back to Him, it makes life a bit more exciting. You see, because I know He wants to answer those “promise prayers,” I get to purposely seek their fulfillment throughout my day. For instance, if I get into a challenging situation, I can quickly pray: “Lord, You promised to never leave me nor forsake me,” and having been reminded of His promise and encouraged by His Faithfulness, I will purposely seek His Presence throughout the situation. I will seek His insight as to what I should say or do. I will seek opportunities that I can use for the resolution of the circumstance. I will seek His peace, His patience, His gentleness…in other words I will seek to imitate Him in the situation so that it will all work together for the good of everyone involved. Praying His promises keeps me growing to be more and more like Him.
Here’s one more “bonus” benefit: praying God’s Promises back to Him honors God. It tells Him I am in agreement with Him and believe what He said He would do. It tells Him I know I can be content, no matter what happens, because He will never leave me nor forsake me. I challenge you to find one of God’s promises and spend time this week returning His Word to God with Faith, Hope and Love. Let it remind you of His Faithfulness. Let it encourage you to keep moving forward. Let it make your life more abundant as you purposely seek the way He will answer that prayer. This is part of the abundant Life God desires for us to live here, before we live in Paradise forevermore. And once you taste and see how good this Life is, you will desire to live it more and more. I do…so won’t you join me?
Until we meet again, keep lifting your eyes to God, He’s closer than you think.
<>< Peace, Diane
