(Excerpt from teaching/training classes, used also in pastoral counseling and prison ministry)
Used in “Joy and Peace in Christ” taught at Christ E.P.C. and Jester #3 prison.
Jesus’ promises are powerful medicine for our souls and awesome to grasp. Ask God the Holy Spirit to implant these truths deep in your heart and give you righteousness, joy, and peace in Christ.
Constant focus on the Lord’s trustworthy promises in Scripture and firm trust in Him lessens worry and anxiety about life’s concerns. Meditation on God’s promises keeps our minds quiet and composed in the midst of change and keeps our spirits from sinking under various troubles. Christians deprive themselves of Christ’s most solid comforts by our unbelief and forgetfulness of His pledges to us. We need to renew our trust in the Lord’s abundant ability and willingness to relieve, revive, refresh, and restore our souls.
Familiarity with God’s promises is also a great advantage in prayer. Christians gain confidence when we call on Jesus, remembering His repeated assurances that our Bible-based prayers shall be heard and answered! When we delight ourselves in the Lord’s promises, we gain confidence that He will give us the desires of our hearts (Psalm 37:4). We are asking Him for the exact things He has promised! Our faith in Christ is made fervent and strong when we enforce our prayers by pleading the Lord’s gracious promises that fit our situation.*
- 2 Peter 1:4: Because of God’s glory and excellence, He has given us great and precious promises. These promises enable you to share His divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.
- Jeremiah 29:11: I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.
- Matthew 11:28–29: Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
- Isaiah 40:29–31: He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.
- Philippians 4:19: God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from His glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.
- Romans 8:37–39: Despite all these obstacles, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.
- Proverbs 1:33: All who listen to me will live in peace, untroubled by fear of harm.
- John 14:27: I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.
- Romans 10:9: If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
- Romans 6:23: For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. (all from New Living Translation, 2007)
Why not start now? Rejoice in Christ’s promises and pray through some of the Scriptures above, one line at a time. Stay focused, allowing Jesus’ word to direct your thoughts and words back to God in prayer, asking for the blessings He wants to give us. Then get ready to receive from the Lord’s generous hand!
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*Adapted from Samuel Clark, Introduction to Scripture Promises as quoted by J. I. Packer, Knowing God (1973), page 115.