Personal promises from God

It was bible story time in Maddy’s house, and Daniel, her 5-year-old son, offered to tell a bible story. They all knew what he was going to say. He had told them the story repeatedly. It was about Daniel in the lion’s den. He loves the name and character of Daniel from the bible so much.

So, he started his story.

“My name is Daniel. I am a wise man. Some people did not like me because I prayed to God. They threw me into the den of lions, but the lions did not hurt me. God was with me even in the den of lions and I came out safe.”

What is interesting is that Daniel tells the story with a twist. He personalizes the story as if he was the real Daniel in Babylon.

When we read the bible, we come across several promises made by God to different people and at different times. For example, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen (Matthew 28:19-20). The command to make disciples and the promise of God’s ever-abiding Presence was made directly to the eleven disciples when Jesus appeared to them in Galilee after His resurrection. We can be tempted to think that the task of making disciples was just for the disciples or that we don’t have the promise of God’s ever-abiding Presence.

Well, one of the many benefits of the cross, the death and resurrection of Jesus, is that through Jesus Christ and His abundant grace, we are recipients of God’s precious promises.

Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust (2 Peter 1:2-4).

We can personalize many of the promises in the bible. So, for example, when Jesus said that He will never leave his disciples, we know that He will never leave us.

When we read the promises in the bible and personalize them, we can also get the results that the initial recipients got.

Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father (John 14:12).

Do you believe in Jesus?