Remind God of His Promise
We can prevail with God in prayer by reminding Him of His promise to do us good.
C.H. Spurgeon emphasizes the power of reminding God of His promises in prayer, particularly focusing on Genesis 32:12, where God assures us of His goodness. He explains that while God does not need reminders, He delights in His people bringing His promises to mind, which strengthens their faith and renews their hope. Spurgeon highlights that God's commitment to do good is unwavering and encompasses both spiritual and eternal blessings. The assurance of God's goodness allows believers to face challenges without fear, knowing that if God is for us, no one can stand against us. Ultimately, the promise of God's goodness is a source of comfort and strength for the faithful.
Text
And thou saidst, I will surely do thee good. (Genesis 32:12)
This is the sure way of prevailing with the Lord in prayer. We may humbly remind Him of what He has said. Our faithful God will never run back from His word, nor will He leave it unfulfilled; yet He loves to be enquired of by His people and put in mind of His promise. This is refreshing to their memories, reviving to their faith, and renewing to their hope. God's Word is given, not for His sake, but for ours. His purposes are settled, and He needs nothing to bind Him to His design of doing His people good; but He gives the promise for our strengthening and comfort.
Hence He wishes us to plead it and say to Him, "Thou saidst."
"I will surely do thee good" is just the essence of all the Lord's gracious sayings, Lay a special stress on the word surely. He will do us good, real good, tasting good, only good, every good. He will make us good, and this is to do us good in the very highest degree. He will treat us as He does his saints while we are here, and that is good. He will soon take us to be with Jesus and all His chosen, and that is supremely good. With this promise in our hearts we need not fear angry Esau or anyone else. If the Lord will do us good, who can do us hurt?
Sermon Outline
- Reminding God of His Promise
- The Essence of God's Gracious Sayings
- The Promise in Our Hearts
- No Need to Fear
- God's Goodness is Supreme
Key Quotes
“I will surely do thee good.” — C.H. Spurgeon
“God's Word is given, not for His sake, but for ours.” — C.H. Spurgeon
“With this promise in our hearts we need not fear angry Esau or anyone else.” — C.H. Spurgeon
Application Points
- We should remind God of His promise to refresh our memories, revive our faith, and renew our hope.
- With God's promise in our hearts, we need not fear anything or anyone.
- God's goodness is supreme and will ultimately take us to be with Jesus.