Laying hold of God’s Promises

“This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Once again I will yield to Israel’s plea and do this for them: I will make their people as numerous as sheep.” Ezekiel 36:37

Yesterday we explored how God sovereignly chooses to execute his will through the prayers of his people and why we are invited into collaboration. Today, let’s explore the dynamic relationship between God’s promises and prayer.

James’s statement bothers me at times: “You do not have because you do not ask God” (James 4:2). I know he is not saying every lack in your life is because you didn’t pray enough, or that God is a vending machine who dispenses whatever we ask for. He is not even saying faithful prayer guarantees we get exactly what we request. Nonetheless, it is often true that we do not have because we do not ask!

Prayer is how believers “lay hold of” the promises of God. While God’s promises are great, they are activated and made real through prayer. God’s promises are the “fulcrum” or foundation for our prayers. They tell us what God has committed to do. Prayer is the “lever” that puts force upon that foundation. It is the act of taking hold of the Promiser (God himself), which in turn reissues and makes personal the promise.

God promised Abraham countless descendants, a promise that extended to his son Isaac. But Isaac’s wife, Rebekah, was barren. What happened? Genesis 25:21 tells us, “Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife, because she was childless. The Lord answered his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant.” Isaac’s specific prayer directly overcame the obstacle to the fulfillment of God’s general promise.

Jesus promised the disciples they would receive power when the Holy Spirit came upon them (Acts 1:8). After Jesus’ ascension, the disciples “all joined together constantly in prayer” (Acts 1:14). On the Day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit fell upon them with power, fulfilling the promise. The church’s united, expectant prayer was the channel through which the promised power was received.

Prayer is the indispensable, God-ordained means by which we personally claim, participate in, and witness the execution of what God has pledged in his word.

What promises of God have you been waiting to see fulfilled in your life? Have you been actively praying over them, or have you assumed that if God promised it, it will simply happen without your participation? Think about Isaac, who could have reasoned, “God promised my father countless descendants, so Rebekah’s barrenness must not be a real obstacle.” Instead, he prayed specifically and persistently. Are there areas where you’ve stopped praying because you’re waiting for God to act, when God is actually waiting for you to ask?

Father, forgive me for the times I have treated your promises as automatic guarantees rather than invitations to partnership through prayer. I confess that I often do not have because I do not ask. Teach me to be like Isaac, who brought the obstacle directly to you in prayer. Teach me to be like the early disciples, who united in expectant prayer until your promise was fulfilled. Show me the promises in your word that apply to my life right now, and give me faith to lay hold of them through persistent, specific prayer. I don’t want to miss out on what you have already pledged to do simply because I failed to ask. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Moses Harford