What Are God's Promises to You?

Are they what we think?

In worship songs, prayers, sermons, Bible studies and devotionals alike, we see the mention of “God’s promises.”

The Bible is full of God’s promises, and we are encouraged to trust in them, rely on them, and let them lead us through life.

But if asked, would you know what those promises are?

Or have you, like me, at times blurred the lines between your prayers and God’s promises—between the hopes you have for your life, and the purpose God has set for it.

I think we all occasionally decide what we think God’s promises are (or should be) and we pray for action in those areas.

But unless we’ve been given prophecies, or received specific assuredness from God about certain things, it’s important not to conflate what we hope for, or perhaps what we feel is the obvious next step in life, with what God has promised us.

Because to do so is to confuse a giving God with a withholding one. It waters the soil of resentment as we tap our foot, like, where is the thing I was promised?? when God never, in fact, promised those things.

So, what are the things God promises us?

This article highlights a handful, including:

-to strengthen you

-to give you rest

-to take care of all your needs

-to answer your prayers

-to be with you

-to give you everlasting life.

God doesn’t promise to give us everything we want.

He doesn’t promise to answer every prayer with yes.

He doesn’t promise to lead us down the same paths as those around us.

He doesn’t promise to give us commercial success, freedom from struggle, or unlimited riches.

So when we think about leaning on God’s promises, we need to remember what that means.

It means that when we feel alone, we can remember that God promises to never leave us.

When we feel lost, we can remember that God promises to take care of all our needs.

When we feel weak, God promises to strengthen us.

When we die, God promises to give us eternal life.

Those are God’s promises.

I don’t say this to discourage or curate your prayers. God asks us to pray about everything, to pray specifically and expectantly. But it is important to remember not only who we are praying to, but what prayer is.

It is not a wish given to a genie or a Christmas list with items to check off.

God will say no to prayers, and sometimes those no’s will hurt, they won’t make sense, they will forever be a bruise that stains our skin. But God promises to work everything together for good, so even in the grief of a “no”, in the pain of a loss, in the frustration of a valley, we can lean on the promise that God knows better than we do, and that his goodness will bring light to any dark.

Maybe we start asking God for specifity of his promses to us.

Maybe we ask for clarification of where we’ve confused promises with handwritten prompts.

Maybe we just ask for strength to hold tighter to his promises than to the expectations of the world.

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“God’s way is perfect. All the Lord’s promises prove true. He is a shield for all who look to him for protection.” 2 Samuel 22:31