He has given us his very great and precious promises,
so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. 2 Pet. 1:4
Heavenly Father, thank you for all the “great and precious promises, contained in your Word. They highlight your sovereign might and faithfulness; not our calling to make things happen. Indeed, the pressure is off. The grace is on.
I used to think I needed to give you permission to act by claiming your promises. Foolish me, you don’t need anyone’s permission to do anything. You even give generously to us while we sleep. We don’t claim your promises—they claim us. Your promises are primarily about you changing us, not us programming you.
All your promises direct our gaze away from ourselves to Jesus—the ultimate “Yes!” to every promise you have made (2 Cor. 1:20). Your promises remind us of all the things you’ve committed to do to bring glory to yourself.
In this particular season, we are grateful for your promise to rid the universe of all racism and rancor, sickness and sadness, injustice and inequity. In our lifetime, there’s never been a season when loving mercy, doing justice, and walking humbly with you has been more important (Micah 6:8).
Through your promises, we increasingly “participate in your divine nature” (2 Pet. 1:4)—that is, we become more like Jesus. Blessed Father, make that real, specific, and observable in these coming months.
May “standing on your promises” lead us to living under your authority, working for justice, and loving our neighbors until Jesus returns. So very Amen we pray, in Jesus’ triumphant and transforming name.