My
Morning Prayer: The Promises of Prayer, 4
-Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow
Promises
When
I was a little boy I wasn’t encouraged to pray, I was encouraged to make
wishes. One evening, after dinner, someone handed me a bone.
“Here,
grab one end of this bone.”
“What
is it?”
“It’s
a wish bone.”
“What’s
that?”
“Well,
first you make a wish. Then you pull on your end of the bone while I pull on
the other end. If you get the big end when the bone breaks then your wish will
come true.”
The
idea of wishing for things to happen became reinforced when I found out I could
make a wish before I blew out my birthday candles (I also learned that if I
told someone what my wish was, it wouldn’t come true.) When I started going to
the movies I heard Jiminy Cricket from Pinocchio and Dorothy from the Wizard of
Oz, both tell me through a song, that I could wish upon a star and my dreams
would come true.
The
idea of children wishing for their dreams to come true may sound silly, but
some carry this idea with them into adulthood and can confuse it with prayer.
Prayer is not another way to have “all our dreams come true.” Prayer is about
speaking to the living God, Our Heavenly Father, bringing our requests to Him,
and believing that He hears and answers us in agreement with His will and for
His glory.
Here
are three important things that can move us away from fantasy, and bring us
into the reality of answered prayer…
Know the promises-God has spoken promises to us.
Those promises are recorded in Scripture so we can know what is in His heart
toward us. His promises will keep us from praying amiss. His promises are not
fleeting words of emotion, they are words of truth. Without the truth of His
promises we could be overcome with superstition, timidity, and anxiety. It is
because of His promises that we can live a life of freedom, confidence, and
contentment.
Pray the promises-In addition to the importance of
knowing God’s promises is the importance of praying His promises. Bible
translations are like car models, each one is a little different in style, but
they all have this in common—you must insert the key (faith) and put your foot
on the gas (obedience) in order to get somewhere. A car doesn’t help you if you
keep it in the garage and keep the key in your pocket. Prayer is like turning
the key and putting the promises into motion (Luke 11:9-13).
Trust the heart of the Promise Giver-We will not have the
confidence we need to pray unless we trust in the character of the One who has
spoken the promises. Often, people who make promises to us also tell us to
trust them. They may be sincere in their request, but even the best intentions
are flawed by human weakness, forgetfulness, and limited resources. There
are no flaws in God’s character and no empty words in His promises. We can be thankful,
that as we ask for our daily bread, we do not call upon a God with human
weaknesses or limitations, but upon the One who loves us with a perfect love
and has promised to supply all our needs from His glorious riches which have
been given to us in Jesus Christ.
The
words and promises of the Lord are pure words, like silver refined in an
earthen furnace, purified seven times over (Psalm 12:6 AMP).
God
has spoken in His holiness [in His promises]: I will rejoice, I will divide and
portion out [the land] Shechem and the Valley of Succoth [west to east] (Psalm
60:6 AMP).
[Growing
in grace] they shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be full of
sap [of spiritual vitality] and [rich in the] verdure [of trust, love, and
contentment]. [They are living memorials] to show that the Lord is upright and
faithful to His promises; He is my Rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him
(Psalm 92:14-15 AMP).
In
the day when I called, You answered me; and You strengthened me with strength
(might and inflexibility to temptation) in my inner self. All the kings of the
land shall give You credit and praise You, O Lord, for they have heard of the
promises of Your mouth [which were fulfilled] (Psalm 138:3-4 AMP).
…Israelites, to whom pertain the adoption, the glory, the
covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, and the promises; (Romans
9:4 NKJV).
Therefore
"Come out from among them And be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch
what is unclean, And I will receive you." "I will be a Father to you,
And you shall be My sons and daughters, Says the LORD Almighty."
Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all
filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God (2
Corinthians 6:17-18, 7:1 NKJV).
That you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and
patience inherit the promises (Hebrews 6:12 NKJV).
My Morning Prayer
-Marina Bromley
My Sweetest Lord Jesus, thank you that you are a God who keeps your promises to us, and not prone to human flaws. As I come to you this morning, help my words be genuine needs and not wishes, full of trust and vulnerability. Help me to be needy in my requests and not full of fluff or pride. Continue to teach me the value of communicating with you, sitting with you, holding you near. Above all else, I want your will for my life. In Jesus's name I humbly pray...amen.
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©2025 Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow. Photo by
Marina Bromley. Used with permission, all rights reserved.
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