How can God’s promise be accomplished in us? Every time we see a promise in God’s Word we must really pray. We must pray until the Spirit of God is so stirred in us that we feel deeply that this promise is intended of God for us. If there is no condition attached to this promise, we can immediately exercise our faith to receive it, believing that God will act according to His promise and accomplish in us what He has promised. We can immediately praise and thank God. If the promise has certain conditions, we need to fulfill the conditions. Then we come to God through prayer and ask Him to act according to His faithfulness and righteousness and fulfill His promise in us. When we have prayed to the extent that faith rises up in us, we need pray no longer. We can begin to praise and thank God. Then, before long, we shall see that God’s promise is really being fulfilled in us.
Here are a few examples:
(1) In a certain place there were several sisters who at the beginning of each year were in the habit of asking God to give them a promise to sustain them for the year. One of the sisters felt that she was weak and told the Lord of her situation. The Lord gave her this word, “Christ...to you-ward is not weak, but is powerful in you” (2 Cor. 13:3). When she received such a word, she became strong. Another sister was prone to worry; whenever she considered the past or the future, she was fearful. She too told the Lord about her situation, and the Lord gave her this promise, saying, “Fear thou not, for I am with thee; be not dismayed, for I am thy God; I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness” (Isa. 41:10). The five occurrences of “I” and the three occurrences of “will” in this verse of the Word of God caused her on one hand to bow down and worship, and on the other hand to be so joyful that she praised the Lord even with tears. Later, when she encountered difficulties and trials, she read this word back to God and even read it to herself. God’s Word really established her, helped her, and upheld her through many years.
Among these sisters were many similar stories. The promises which God gave to each of them were exactly suited to their need. They sincerely asked for God’s promise and obtained it. At the end of the year, when they recounted the Lord’s grace, they could testify that within the year God’s promise had truly comforted and sustained them many times.
(2) Another child of God, due to the needs of her living, asked the Lord to give her a promise. One day she read this word: “Let your way of life be without love of money, being satisfied with your circumstances; for He has said, I will by no means cease to uphold you, neither by any means will I forsake you” (Heb. 13:5). These words surprised her and at the same time made her glad. This promise is conditional: we must be without covetousness, and we must be content with such things as we have; then we will not be deserted or forsaken by the Lord. She said, “Amen and amen!” to this promise. In the past twenty years since that time, on the one hand she has maintained the principle of not eating without working (2 Thes. 3:10); on the other hand the Lord has truly caused the handful of flour in her barrel and the little oil in her container not to be exhausted or lacking. The Lord has not deserted her nor forsaken her.
(3) There is the case of another sister who had been sick for many years. While she was very much in despair she recalled Romans 8:13: “For if you live according to flesh, you are about to die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the practices of the body, you will live.” This gave her a new turn. She dealt with what needed to be dealt with according to the Lord’s light. However, she still remained ill in body. Then one day she prayed, “Lord, if Romans 8:13 is the word You have given me, I ask You to grant me another promise.” Then she confessed her weakness and her unbelief. At this time, deep within her, there seemed to be such words: “God is not a man; He will not lie.” She did not know whether such words were found in the Scriptures. Then, looking into a concordance, she discovered that in Numbers 23:19 there were truly such words: “God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? Or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?” With this her heart was filled with joy and her mouth with praises. Consequently, God also caused her illness to depart.
(4) There were some children of God who at a certain stage of their spiritual life were brought into the experience of Psalm 66. On the one hand it seemed as though, “Thou broughtest us into the net; thou layedst a sore burden upon our loins. Thou didst cause men to ride over our heads” (vv. 11-12a). But on the other hand God also gave them the promise: “We went through fire and through water; but thou broughtest us out into a wealthy place” (v. 12b). This comforted and established them.
(5) There have been several children of God who have been encompassed by trials. Every time they prayed there was the following promise which comforted and established them: “There hath no temptation taken you but such as man can bear: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation make also the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it” (1 Cor. 10:13).
(6) A certain servant of the Lord was in a very heavy trial; it seemed that a great mountain loomed before him. He had climbed this mountain to the point of exhaustion; he had climbed to the extent of despair; he had climbed to the place where it seemed that there was very little left in him to look to God. The words, “unto this present hour” and “until now” (1 Cor. 4:11, 13) brought him over this high mountain. “Unto this present hour” he was still being considered the filth of the world, the very refuse of all things; but he was still able to stand “until now.” Time tests man, but God’s promises enable man to pass through the test of time and remain standing “unto this present hour” and “until now.”
(7) There have been some children of God who, when being tossed by the waves, cried unto the Lord. The Lord’s word to them was, “Have courage; it is I; do not fear” (Matt. 14:24, 27). At this promise their troubled heart was immediately calmed. The waves could never bring them to the bottom of the sea.
Therefore, concerning God’s promises we need to praise Him that they cannot be done away; every word will be established. Faith never asks for evidence, for whatever God says, He will do. Though heaven and earth may be consumed and the mountains and hills fall, he who believes in the Lord shall see His words fulfilled.