Promises

Don’t neglect the power of praying the promises of God!

So says Charles Spurgeon, the great preacher, author and prayer warrior.

Spurgeon, known as “the prince of preachers” in 19th century London, said he soaked himself in God’s promises from scripture to fuel his prayers.

That’s because what God promises, he will fulfill.

In an 1886 sermon, Spurgeon talked about Jacob in Genesis 32, struggling with God before he was to meet his brother Esau the next day.  Jacob was afraid of Esau because he had cheated his brother out of his inheritance.

As he wrestled in prayer with the Lord, he reminded God that he had promised Jacob he would do him good if he returned to his country.

Jacob, the schemer, admitted that he was not worthy of the love that God had shown him.  He pleaded with the Lord to deliver him, based on his promises.

After a night of grappling with God, the Lord granted him his request.

Spurgeon said that “when we come to pleading terms with God, there is nothing that so helps us as to be able to quote the promise and plead ‘You said’.”

“I would have all Christian people know God’s promises,” Spurgeon said.

No businessman would ignore the value of cheques in his possession, he noted.  But Christians often seem unaware of the value of the Lord’s promises.

The author said he looks at the circumstances in which God makes promises because they may be similar to his own.  That gives him extra confidence in his prayer requests.

“Many and many a time has God brought a promise home to my heart with such freshness that I have felt the Bible was made on purpose for me.”

We can count on God because the Lord “cannot lie”.  By his promise, God “engages himself to act in a certain way, and he will do so”.

God is all-wise so he does not make promises that he cannot keep.  And he does not make promises that would be bad for us.

Spurgeon pointed out one important condition to praying God’s promises - confessing our own sins and becoming right with God.

As Jacob came before God, he admitted his own unworthiness.  We need to do the same if there is anything standing in the way between us and the Lord.

But we should not feel that past sins prevent us from asking God to fulfill his promises in our lives.  

Spurgeon underlined the fact that God is a god of mercy and will carry out his promises once we throw ourselves upon him.

Many great believers have memorized and meditated upon the promises that are sprinkled throughout the Bible.

I have neglected this for too long.  I am inspired to follow Spurgeon’s lead.