January 26 Reading: Isaiah 38:10-16 Lord, because of these promises people live, and in all of them is the life of my spirit as well. Isaiah 38:16 Isaiah 38 contains Hezekiahs hymn of praise after God had promised to heal him. Though not yet restored to health—that would happen at the end of the chapter—Hezekiah claimed Gods promises and exulted in them as if already fulfilled. Biblical promises are tightly wrapped, power-packed, portable capsules of Scripture, written by God and designed to meet our specific needs at specific times and in ways that correspond perfectly to His all-sufficient grace. Theres a promise in the Bible for every need we have and every crisis we face. In the 1700s, Samuel Clarke compiled a list of promises for his congregation to study and memorize. The more he searched them out in Scripture, the more overwhelmed he felt by their sheer number and practicality. He organized them, and they were published as Clarkes Scripture Promises. In the introduction, Clarke wrote in his quaint Puritan style: A fixed, constant attention to the promises, and a firm belief in them, would prevent solicitude and anxiety about the concerns of this life. It would keep the mind quiet and composed in every change, and support and keep up our sinking spirits under the several troubles of life.... Christians deprive themselves of their most solid comforts by their unbelief and forgetfulness of Gods promises. For there is no extremity so great but there are promises suitable to it, and abundantly sufficient for our relief in it. My All in All: Daily Assurance of Gods Grace.
Posted on: Mon, 26 Jan 2015 09:52:15 +0000