Trust the Promises

Praying with promises opens God’s treasury for us. Our loving heavenly Father opens an inexhaustible account for us.

Two Groups of Promises

At the same time, it is important to make a careful distinction between the promises in the Bible. “The spiritual promises—for forgiveness of sin, for the Holy Spirit, for power to do His work—are always available (see Acts 2:38,39). But the promises for temporal blessings, even for life itself, are given on occasion and withheld on occasion, as God’s providence sees best.”¹

Here is an example: Isaiah 43:2 says, “When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you.” God kept this promise in a wonderful way for the three friends in the fiery furnace (Daniel 3). But on the other hand, the reformers Hus and Jerome were burned at the stake in Constance. We could say that their prayers weren’t answered. But nevertheless, weren’t they answered in a fashion that we aren’t acquainted with? Why? A papal writer described the death of these martyrs as follows: “Both bore themselves with constant mind when their last hour approached. They prepared for the fire as if they were going to a marriage feast. They uttered no cry of pain. When the flames rose, they began to sing hymns; and scarce could the vehemency of the fire stop their singing.”² If someone is burned, they can only scream. Their behavior shows that God did intervene, just not in the manner which is readily visible for us. This shows me that the temporal promises still have significance for us.

Thanking for the Answer

Now for another important aspect. When our requests have been granted at the moment we asked, then it is right to thank God for the answer in the next. Our thanks at this moment expresses our trust in God that He has answered our prayer and that we expect it to be fulfilled when we need it most. Some believers notice something immediately after they pray. But for many believers it is similar to Elijah’s experience: The Lord wasn’t in the storm, in the earthquake or in the fire, but rather in the still, small voice (1 Kings 19:11-12). This was also my experience.

After a long period of time I thought nothing had happened. Then I suddenly noticed that many things had taken place in me without me realizing it.

Change My Thinking

This means: It is necessary to change my thinking at this moment: “… but be transformed by the renewing of your mind …” (Romans 12:2)

Now it is correct to say: Thank you that you answered my prayer. Thank you for already granting my request. Thank you that I will experience it at the right time.

This is not self-manipulation. With self-manipulation, I am trying to persuade myself. When I have prayed with a promise, then I have a divine basis for my changed thinking because I have already been answered through faith. In this case, if I don’t change my thinking, then I am showing God I don’t trust Him, but am relying on my feelings. With this behavior, I am making God a liar and will therefore not receive anything.

It is also important that I act accordingly, even when I don’t notice anything. God always integrates the necessity to believe. He wants us to trust Him. Think about the crossing of the Jordan River. The priests first had to step into the water, and then the water divided. Naaman had to dip in the water seven times before he was healed.

Call to Action

Maybe you are saying: “I can’t do that. I can’t even imagine doing that.” Please remember that there are a lot of things we can’t explain. To this day, we don’t know what electricity is, yet we all use it. Neither do we know how children learn to talk, but they all learn to communicate. “In the natural world, we are constantly surrounded with wonders beyond our comprehension. Should we then be surprised to find in the spiritual world also mysteries that we cannot fathom?”³

Let’s think about Proverbs 3:5-6: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” Here we find clear prerequisites from God for this promise of directing our paths. Every prerequisite is also a commandment. If we aren’t sure that we have fulfilled the prerequisite, then we may pray for willingness with the surety that the Lord will answer us immediately. “… but if you are ‘willing to be made willing’, God will accomplish the work for you …”⁴

Something small that may help: Do we know what we are doing when we have prayed with God’s promise, have fulfilled the requirement, and then doubt being answered? We are making God into a liar. Under no circumstances do we want to do that. In this case, pray: Lord, I believe, help my unbelief. Then trust!

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The above is an excerpt from Steps to Personal Revival.

All scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

1. Morris L. Venden, 95 Theses on Righteousness by Faith (Pacific Press 1987), 60.
2. Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy (Mountain View, California: Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1911), 109.
3. Ellen G. White, Education (Mountain View, California: Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1903), 170.
4. Ellen G. White, Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing (Mountain View, California: Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1896), 142.