My favorite copy of the Bible is marked and dog-eared and has been rebound three times. In The Book are promises precious beyond measure to me, because I have found that God always stands behind them solidly, unwaveringly, as surely as the sun rises and the tides ebb and flow.
The particular promises that follow are a part of the fabric of my life. Each of them represents a milestone in my personal history. I share them with you as the gold they are.
1. When I need guidance:
“Know Him in all your paths, and He will keep your ways straight” (Proverbs 3:6).
2. When the answer to prayer seems slow in coming:
“Steady patience is what you need, so that after doing the will of God you may receive what you were promised” (Hebrews 10:36).
3. When I have sinned and need forgiveness:
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).
4. When I’m lonely and long to feel Christ’s presence:
“Look! I’m standing at the door and knocking. If any hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to be with them, and will have dinner with them, and they will have dinner with me” (Revelation 3:20).
5. When I do not feel good enough to be acceptable to God:
“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God—not because of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8,9).
6. When I am tempted:
“…God is faithful. He won’t allow you to be tempted beyond your abilities. Instead, with the temptation, God will also supply a way out so that you will be able to endure it” (I Corinthians 10:13).
7. When I need physical strength and good health:
“If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you… He will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit which dwells in you” (Romans 8:11).
8. When I wonder if God understands what I’m up against:
“But Jesus the Son of God is our great High Priest who has gone to heaven itself to help us; therefore let us never stop trusting Him. This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses since He had the same temptations we do, though He never once gave way to them and sinned” (Hebrews 4:14, 15).
9. When troubles multiply:
“… we triumph even in our troubles, knowing that trouble produces endurance, endurance produces character, and character produces hope—a hope which never disappoints us, since God’s love floods our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us” (Romans 5:3, 5).
10. How I know there is life after death:
“… I am the one who raises the dead and gives them life again. Anyone who believes in Me, even though he dies like anyone else, shall live again. He is given eternal life for believing in Me and shall never perish” (John 11:25, 26).
