“…because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.” (2 Peter 1:4)
The promises are confidence-building directives relating to living with a good conscience before God obedient to the guidance found in scripture. A promise is uplifting: “a declaration of God’s will, wherein he signifies what particular good things he will freely bestow, and the evils that he will remove.” 1 Promises encourage –they reveal truths that are primarily beneficial to us.
The promises of God are a storehouse of blessings and a chest of goodwill bequeathed to us by our heavenly Father…It reveals what the Lord our God will do on our behalf; not what He hopes to do or will attempt to perform, but what He has already committed and bound Himself to accomplish for us. 2
God’s promises are uniquely different from God’s threats of disobedience. A promise presents God’s desire for the believers’ good blessings rather than harm. Promises are words delivered to the faithful man or woman who then can earnestly pray over seeking the blessings noted. Over the 42 years since my conversion to Christ, I have used several versions of promise books and compiled my own in several personal documents, categorizing them for devotional life and business guidance. I can attest to you that they are the mainstay of my life. I rise daily before daybreak to see the Lord and pray over the promises, and to determine if he has a message of guidance particular to my circumstances — to my children, grandchildren or a word of encouragement for my Christian friends.
Photo: Glen Jackman’s Promise Book
The promises of God are certified words to be believed. Why? Because God spoke them through his prophets and stands behind them. Any other ideas we have about the blessings of God are presumptuous, man-made ideas. (Heb. 11:11) Promises are valuable words which deliver power to the soul as conduit leverage in our prayer life. The Holy Spirit testifies to our spirit that we are the children of God who turn to their father in heaven for encouragement. (Romans 8:14) We can actually dialogue with the Lord, speaking his own word back as promissory notes he has made to us. David makes this evident when he prays, “For you, O LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, have made this revelation to your servant, saying, ‘I will build you a house.’ Therefore your servant has found courage to pray this prayer to you” (2 Samuel 7:27)
Through faith in Christ, we uphold the Words of God (Rom. 3:31; 8:1–4) attesting our promise as heirs of these promises (Gal. 3:14, 29).
1 Puritan, William Spurstowe
2 Beeke, Belle, James La. Living by God’s Promises . Reformation Heritage Books. Kindle Edition.