Pray God's Promises

...he has granted to us his precious and very great promises...
– 2 Peter 1:4

“The future is as bright as the promises of God.”
– William Carey, missionary, 1761-1834

How can we be sure that our prayers for national revival will be heard and answered? If we pray according to God’s will, we can have such assurance (1 John 5:14-15). And what does it mean to pray according to God’s will? It means, in part, that we pray in line with what God wants. We know that God wants to fulfill His promises, so when we pray, let’s remember to pray according to the promises of God in Scripture. 

Our prayers cooperate with the fulfillment of God’s promises. 

For example, Jesus promised that we don’t have to worry about our daily needs because the Father provides for us (Matthew 6:31), and Jesus told us to ask the Father for our daily bread (Matthew 6:11). So, we understand that our prayers help bring about the fulfillment of God’s promises for our daily needs. 

The same prayer logic applies to the powerful workings of the Holy Spirit. 

Jesus promised His disciples that they would receive the Holy Spirit’s presence and power (John 14:17; Acts 1:8), and Jesus told His disciples that the Father gives the Holy Spirit to those who ask (Luke 11:13). If we want and need the Holy Spirit, then we must ask for His powerful presence.

As we pray for renewal of the church and awakening in America, pray some of these scriptural promises of God:

For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.
– Habakkuk 2:14

And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
– Matthew 24:14

If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
– 2 Chronicles 7:14

I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall not teach, each one his neighbor and each one his brother, saying, “Know the Lord,” for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest.
– Hebrews 8:10-11

You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
– Matthew 5:13-16

Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.
– James 4:8

The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desire of those who fear him; he also hears their cry and saves them.
– Psalm 145:18-19

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
– Ephesians 3:20-21

Fill our mouths with Your promises, Father, that You would bring them to their glorious fulfillment, for Your glory and our good. Amen.

With you in Christ,
Chuck Hetzler, PhD
Director, Christian Union Day and Night