Schoolteacher Dr. Everek R. Storms once set out on a quest to discover how many promises were given in Scripture. On his 27th readthrough of the Bible, Storms carefully recorded every promise he could identify.
The results were fascinating: 7,487 promises from God to man, two from God the Father to God the Son, 991 from one person to another (such as the servants who promised to interpret Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream), and 290 from man to God (such as the psalmist’s prayer in Psalm 51:15: “O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall show forth Your praise”). Storms also identified 28 promises made by angels, one from man to an angel, and two made by an evil spirit to the Lord. Even Satan made nine promises, including his deceitful offer to deliver all the kingdoms of the world to Christ if He would worship the Devil (Mt. 4:8–9). The grand total of the Bible’s promises came to 8,810.
Many of God’s 7,487 promises to man relate to Israel, its land, and its people. Whenever I speak with Christians about God’s promises to Israel, I remind them of this important truth: Because God is faithful to the Jewish people, He will be faithful to you. If He were to break His promises to Israel, what makes you think He would keep His promises to you? Everything we have as believers is wrapped up in the promises He gives us. Our confidence rests completely on the character of a faithful, unchanging, sovereign, promise-keeping God.
As the Lord proclaimed, “I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done. . . . Indeed I have spoken it; I will also bring it to pass. I have purposed it; I will also do it” (Isa. 46:9–11). Affirming God’s promises, the apostle Paul wrote, “For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen” (2 Cor. 1:20).
Like Dr. Storms, we who trust in the Lord should regularly read our Bibles, pen in hand, looking for and claiming God’s promises to us. Such an exercise can help us live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world (Ti. 2:12). To motivate you to search for and record God’s promises, here are a few key guarantees for you to hold dear.
God promises that whoever believes in Jesus will be saved.
“If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For the Scripture says, ‘Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.’ For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For ‘whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved’” (Rom. 10:9, 11–13).
God promises us comfort in time of need.
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God” (2 Cor. 1:3–4).
God promises to meet all our needs.
“And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:19).
God promises to provide us with wisdom.
“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him” (Jas. 1:5).
God promises us peace and comfort.
“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Mt. 11:28–29).
God promises to complete His work in us.
“Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil. 1:6).
God promises us cleansing.
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 Jn. 1:9).
God promises us victory.
“In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us” (Rom. 8:37).
God promises He will meet us in the air.
“For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord” (1 Th. 4:16–17).
God promises a future home for us.
“I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know” (Jn. 14:2–4).
Claiming the promises of God is a wonderful exercise, as we recognize His faithfulness to us and then testify to others of His goodness.
Professor Russell Kelso Carter (1849—1928) was diagnosed with a critical heart condition at age 30. As a Christian, he turned to the Lord, praying on his knees for healing but telling the Lord he would consecrate himself fully to His service whether or not he was cured. From that moment on, Carter clung to God’s promises and believed them regardless of his physical condition and how he felt. Throughout the following months, his strength returned; and his heart was completely healed.
This powerful demonstration of God’s faithfulness led Carter to write the hymn “Standing on the Promises,” still sung in many churches today. By God’s grace, Carter lived 42 more years, standing firmly on God’s promises for the rest of his life. Among the five verses of Carter’s song, verses two, three, and five stand out as reminders to us of the blessing of God’s promises:
Standing on the promises that cannot fail!
When the howling storms of doubt and fear assail,
By the living Word of God I shall prevail,
Standing on the promises of God.
Standing on the promises, I now can see
Perfect, present cleansing in the blood for me;
Standing in the liberty where Christ makes free,
Standing on the promises of God.
Standing on the promises I cannot fall,
List’ning ev’ry moment to the Spirit’s call,
Resting in my Savior as my all in all,
Standing on the promises of God.
The apostle John perfectly summed up the joy of holding fast to our trustworthy God: “This is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him” (1 Jn. 5:14–15).
I encourage you to live boldly in faith like Carter did. Make a conscious effort to find God’s promises, believe them, and act on them each and every day—for therein lies the joy of the Christian life.
