Prayer And God’s Promises

God never changes so prayers based on sound knowledge of His character put Him in a corner: He must grant them. It’s the same with prayers that are based on promises He has made.

A covenant is a binding, solemn commitment or promise and God has exerted into a covenant with all His people.

"For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. None of them shall teach his neighbour, and none his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them. For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more."

Hebrews 8:10 – 12

It applies to every believer. God will, He must, forgive their sins. He will love them. Of all the people on earth He will be devoted to them in a special way. He will transform them: write His law on their hearts so that they will want to obey it and will increasingly obey it.

There are other things God has promised to do. For example:

“For He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you."”

Hebrews 13:5

“The young lions lack and suffer hunger; But those who seek the LORD shall not lack any good thing.”

Psalms 34:10

“God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.”

1 Corinthians 10:13

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you.”

Isaiah 43:2

"I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.”

Matthew 16:18

”For the earth will be filled With the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, As the waters cover the sea.”

Habakkuk 2:14

God must fulfil His covenant. He paid a high price — gave His Son — to make it possible. He must also keep every promise He has ever made. His honour depends on it and, indeed, His existence depends on it for if God ever failed to keep even one of His promises He would cease to be God and that’s unthinkable.

Here are some examples of people pleading with God to keep His promises. Look them up and then see if you can think of some others. Also, make a list of things God has promised to do.

• Moses: Numbers 14:11 – 19. (Moses prayer was based on what He knew about God’s, but it was also based on God’s commitment to be merciful to His people.)

• Solomon: 1 Kings 8:23.

• Daniel: Daniel 9:4.

• Nehemiah: Nehemiah 1:5 – 11.

• Asaph: Psalm 74:20.
  

“Among all the arguments that can be used in pleading with’ God, perhaps there is none stronger than this… If we have God’s word for a thing we may well pray, “Do as thou hast said, for as a good man only needs to be reminded of his own word in order to be brought to keep it, even so is it with our faithful God; he only needs that for these things we put him in remembrance to do them for us.”

C H Spurgeon