a) God is not a liar.
b) The Bible is the inspired Word of God.
c) Jesus is the truth.
Hands up if you believe all three?
I thought I did. Yet unknowingly, I had been calling God a liar for years. How? Every time I came across trouble I couldn’t solve, I would worry.
“Enes, There isn’t enough money to pay your tuition fees”
Worry.
“I’m sorry Miss Champo, modern medicine doesn’t have the answer to this medical condition”
Worry.
“ I regret to inform you that your application has not been accepted”
Worry.
Of course, I knew about the promises of God! I mean, I had grown up from Kindergarten hearing story after story, memorising Bible verses, and those scripture songs? I was a pro! Yet immediately after hearing bad news, my head would get hot, and my heart would beat faster, I’d feel uneasy and sometimes despairing.
It’s at times like this that the prayer of reception needs to be prayed.
You’ve heard of the prayer of Jabez, but what about Jacob’s prayer of reception? I believe that this is singlehandedly one of the most powerful prayers that a Christian can pray. Let’s revisit the story. Jacob was on his way back home after years of absence. He hears that Esau is on the way to meet him…with 400 men. When they were young he had stolen his twin brother’s birthright and years later, it seemed like he was still mad and had every intention of getting his own back. If that doesn’t spell ‘WAR’ I don’t know what does.
Jacob is frightened out of his wits. All he has is a company of servants, a bazillion animals and his children and wives. This is no contest. He sends a company ahead of him then turns to his Pillar, his Strength, his Support Network; God Almighty. Genesis 32: 9-12 gives us a glimpse of the conversation he has with God. I want to highlight a particular point:
And Jacob said, O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, the LORD which saidst unto me, Return unto thy country, and to thy kindred, and I will deal well with thee:
12 And thou saidst, I will surely do thee good, and make thy seed as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.
Did you catch it? Jacob isn’t just praying any old prayer, he’s praying to God, using the Almighty’s own words! He’s praying the promises of God!
He’s like “So God, You said you would do this for me” and “Lord, you promised you would fulfil that for me”.
This is the prayer of reception and this is the prayer that God CANNOT refuse. Why? Because He said He would do it!! He doesn’t go back on His Word. Did you know that every promise of God is sworn in twice? True story:
“ For when God made the promise to Abraham since He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself…
… so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us.”
Hebrews 6:3,18 NASB
What are these two unchangeable things? First God makes the promise then as if that wasn’t enough He then swears…by HIMSELF. Talk about the double assurance that what He says, He will do. And this is exactly why the prayer of reception cannot not be answered – God is not a liar and if He said He would never leave you (Deut 31:6), He’s not going anywhere. If He said He would provide your needs, you need make space for the provisions that He’s sending your way (Phil 4:19). If He said that He will perfect that which concerns you (Ps 138:8) you need to start praising Him from now.
And so there is hope for the wavering worrying Christian;it comes power packed in a seven-letter word: Believe. Believe Him. Believe that if God promised you something in the Bible, It’s yours.
Let me clarify something: presumption is claiming the promises of God yet not meeting it’s conditions (e.g. If you ask for forgiveness yet are not extending it to others – Matt 6:12). This contrasts with Faith- boldly claiming the promises of God when you have met the conditions. The two should never be confused.
“Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.” Mark 11:24
So next time you feel like you’re stuck in a rut, instead of going with your gut feeling and worrying, grab a promise of God and sit on it determinedly. Pray it back the God; tell Him that He said He would do it, and so expect Him to come through for you. Believe Him.
And watch Him work wonders…
Anonymous says
This is very true…claiming his promises we must 🙂