The Promise

 “But you said, ‘I will surely do you good, and make your offspring as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.’””

(‭‭Genesis‬ ‭32‬:‭12‬ ‭ESV‬‬)

In our hour of need, we bring our request to God. We bring it to God in prayer. And, whatever it may be, we ask him to grant it.

But what is the basis of our request? On what grounds do we make our request? What is the justification of our request?

More often than not, we base our request upon our goodness. We base it upon the things we’ve done for the Lord. We base it upon the fact that we’ve trusted in the Lord for a number of years.

The problem with this is that we’re undeserving of God's blessings. The problem is that we can do nothing to merit his blessings. And this is a reality we’re unable to change.

What, then, are we to do? On what basis are we to bring our requests to the Lord? We find the answer in the words of Jacob above.

Jacob offered this prayer as he prepared to meet his brother, Esau. This is the same brother who had desired to kill him. And it was reported that he was coming to meet Jacob with four hundred men.

He was naturally afraid. He was afraid for himself, but also for his wives and children. And he brought this concern to God.

He told the Lord that he was unworthy of the blessings he’d received. But God had made to him a promise. God had promised that he’d make his offspring as the sand of the sea, which could not be counted.

If this promise of God was to be fulfilled, he had to survive. He could not be slaughtered by his brother, along with his family. He, then, appealed to God by this promise.

God is faithful. He does not lie, nor does he change his mind. And, for this reason, when God makes a promise, we know it is certain.

We, then, should follow the example of Jacob. We base our appeals to him not on who we are or what we’ve done. We base it on the promise he’s given us.

He’s promised us salvation. He’s promised us forgiveness and everlasting life. And he sent his Son to provide these blessings for us by his death on the cross.

This, then, is the basis of our appeal. This is the grounds on which we should base each request. And this is to be the justification for each appeal we make.