Praying God's Promises
Praying God’s Promise (2 Corinthians 6:16)
1. In 2 Corinthians 6:16, the Apostle Paul reminds the Corinthians believers to remember who they are based upon God’s promise: “For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, ‘I WILL DWELL IN THEM AND WALK AMONG THEM; AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE.’”
2. Here, Paul quotes God’s promise in Leviticus 26:12 which states: “I will also walk among you and be your God, and you shall be My people.”
3. John Murray offers us a very specific challenge: “Meditate for at least fifteen minutes every day on some word of God connected with His promises to His church and then plead with Him for its fulfillment.”
4. Here’s one pastor’s meditation on this promise of God to walk among us and to be our God.
Lord, you are the God who walks on the vault of heaven (Job 22:14). You walk on the wings of the wind (Ps. 104:3), but you are also the God who promises to walk among your people… to be our God and take us to be your people. You walked in the Garden of Eden in the cool of the day pursuing man who had fallen into sin due to his rebellion and the tempting lies of the enemy. Enoch of old walked with you and he was not for you took him (Gen. 5:24). Noah walked with you – a righteous man, blameless in his time (6:9). You admonish Abraham and us: “I am the God Almighty; walk before me and be blameless” (17:1).
You tested your people and continue to test us on whether we will walk in Your instruction. You used manna long ago to test your people in Exodus 16. Thank you for being a God who breaks the bars of our ‘other’ yokes so that we may walk erect (Leviticus 26:13). You walked in the midst of the camp of your journeying people to deliver them and defeat their enemies for them (Deut. 23:14). Would you do the same again for us?
Your walking among your people is always an impetus for us to live holy lives. You warned your people of old that if you saw anything indecent among them that you would turn away from them (Deut. 23:14). May this never be true for us your people!
When we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, we don’t fear any evil for You are a shepherd who walks before us (Psalm 23:4). We are those who naturally left to ourselves walk and conduct our lives in spiritual darkness (Isaiah 9:2). This is due to our sin and its attendant consequences. Grant us Lord the grace to heed the invitation to “Come, house of Jacob, let us walk in the light of the Lord” (Isaiah 2:5). Thank you Father for not leaving us to ourselves in this journey. Thank you for giving us your Spirit to speak to us and show us how and where to walk. Isaiah reminds us: “Your ears will hear a word behind you, ‘This is the way, walk in it,’ whenever you turn to the right or to the left.” (Isaiah 30:21) The redeemed of the Lord are those who are said to walk on “the highway of holiness (Is. 35:8). This passage points to the joyful return of the exiled captives to their homeland. It ultimately points to the time when we are no longer exiled from our eternal, heavenly home. Isaiah reminds us Lord that there will be “joyful shouting…everlasting joy… with sorrow and sighing fleeing away!
Lord, show me how to wait and hope for you… Give me that new strength you promise in Isaiah 40. I want to mount up like an eagle. Grant renewed strength so that I can run the race that you’ve marked out and not get exhausted. You say that you renew your people in such a way that they will walk and not become weary (Is. 40:31). Thank you Lord for being a God who promises to be with us when we pass through the waters and flooding rivers. When we walk through the fire, we will not be scorched nor will the flame burn us (Is. 43:2).
During those times that we walk in darkness and do not have the light of your guidance and do not sense the light of your presence, you call us to trust in the your name and to rely upon You (Is. 50:10). How often I have walked in the way that is not good – following my own thoughts. Thank you Father for persisting in spreading out your hands to welcome a rebellious person like me (Is. 65:2). How easy it is to walk after and pursue things that do not profit spiritually and eternally (Jer. 2:8). We have walked after emptiness and have become empty (Jer. 2:5). Like your people of old, there is something in my heart that resists walking in the ancient paths… paths that Jeremiah says will lead to finding rest for my soul (Jer. 6:16). Your Word declares that when I persist in walking after other gods (idols), it leads to personal ruin. Thus, the number one problem that keeps me from walking with You is that I walk after the stubbornness of my own heart (Jer. 9:14; 13:10; 16:12; 23:17).
Lord, you continue to remind us what is good and what you require of us: to do justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with you our God (Micah 6:8). According to the promise of Jesus: If we follow Him, we will not walk in darkness because we will have the light of life (John 8:12). Lord, give me the grace to walk in newness of life (Rom. 6:4)…to walk by faith and not by sight (2 Cor. 5:7)… to walk by the Spirit (Gal. 5:16)… to walk in the good works that you have prepared in advance for us to do (Eph. 2:10)… to walk in a manner worthy of the gospel (4:1)…to walk in love (5:2)… to walk as children of light (5:8)… to walk wisely (5:15)… to walk as Jesus walked (Col. 2:6; 1 John 2:6)… and to walk in the light (1 John 1:7). Lord, grant us the exceedingly great joy of seeing our own children walking in the truth (3 John 4).
Lord, you are the one who walks among your lampstands… your churches (Rev. 2:7). May we be found faithful to the end… walking in your ways and your truth. At the end, all nations shall walk by the light of your glory that will illumine our new, heavenly city (Rev. 21:24). Maranatha! In the mean time, come Lord Jesus and walk among us, be our God and take us to be your people not just for your glory but also for our eternal and temporal good, AMEN.
1. In 2 Corinthians 6:16, the Apostle Paul reminds the Corinthians believers to remember who they are based upon God’s promise: “For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, ‘I WILL DWELL IN THEM AND WALK AMONG THEM; AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE.’”
2. Here, Paul quotes God’s promise in Leviticus 26:12 which states: “I will also walk among you and be your God, and you shall be My people.”
3. John Murray offers us a very specific challenge: “Meditate for at least fifteen minutes every day on some word of God connected with His promises to His church and then plead with Him for its fulfillment.”
4. Here’s one pastor’s meditation on this promise of God to walk among us and to be our God.
Lord, you are the God who walks on the vault of heaven (Job 22:14). You walk on the wings of the wind (Ps. 104:3), but you are also the God who promises to walk among your people… to be our God and take us to be your people. You walked in the Garden of Eden in the cool of the day pursuing man who had fallen into sin due to his rebellion and the tempting lies of the enemy. Enoch of old walked with you and he was not for you took him (Gen. 5:24). Noah walked with you – a righteous man, blameless in his time (6:9). You admonish Abraham and us: “I am the God Almighty; walk before me and be blameless” (17:1).
You tested your people and continue to test us on whether we will walk in Your instruction. You used manna long ago to test your people in Exodus 16. Thank you for being a God who breaks the bars of our ‘other’ yokes so that we may walk erect (Leviticus 26:13). You walked in the midst of the camp of your journeying people to deliver them and defeat their enemies for them (Deut. 23:14). Would you do the same again for us?
Your walking among your people is always an impetus for us to live holy lives. You warned your people of old that if you saw anything indecent among them that you would turn away from them (Deut. 23:14). May this never be true for us your people!
When we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, we don’t fear any evil for You are a shepherd who walks before us (Psalm 23:4). We are those who naturally left to ourselves walk and conduct our lives in spiritual darkness (Isaiah 9:2). This is due to our sin and its attendant consequences. Grant us Lord the grace to heed the invitation to “Come, house of Jacob, let us walk in the light of the Lord” (Isaiah 2:5). Thank you Father for not leaving us to ourselves in this journey. Thank you for giving us your Spirit to speak to us and show us how and where to walk. Isaiah reminds us: “Your ears will hear a word behind you, ‘This is the way, walk in it,’ whenever you turn to the right or to the left.” (Isaiah 30:21) The redeemed of the Lord are those who are said to walk on “the highway of holiness (Is. 35:8). This passage points to the joyful return of the exiled captives to their homeland. It ultimately points to the time when we are no longer exiled from our eternal, heavenly home. Isaiah reminds us Lord that there will be “joyful shouting…everlasting joy… with sorrow and sighing fleeing away!
Lord, show me how to wait and hope for you… Give me that new strength you promise in Isaiah 40. I want to mount up like an eagle. Grant renewed strength so that I can run the race that you’ve marked out and not get exhausted. You say that you renew your people in such a way that they will walk and not become weary (Is. 40:31). Thank you Lord for being a God who promises to be with us when we pass through the waters and flooding rivers. When we walk through the fire, we will not be scorched nor will the flame burn us (Is. 43:2).
During those times that we walk in darkness and do not have the light of your guidance and do not sense the light of your presence, you call us to trust in the your name and to rely upon You (Is. 50:10). How often I have walked in the way that is not good – following my own thoughts. Thank you Father for persisting in spreading out your hands to welcome a rebellious person like me (Is. 65:2). How easy it is to walk after and pursue things that do not profit spiritually and eternally (Jer. 2:8). We have walked after emptiness and have become empty (Jer. 2:5). Like your people of old, there is something in my heart that resists walking in the ancient paths… paths that Jeremiah says will lead to finding rest for my soul (Jer. 6:16). Your Word declares that when I persist in walking after other gods (idols), it leads to personal ruin. Thus, the number one problem that keeps me from walking with You is that I walk after the stubbornness of my own heart (Jer. 9:14; 13:10; 16:12; 23:17).
Lord, you continue to remind us what is good and what you require of us: to do justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with you our God (Micah 6:8). According to the promise of Jesus: If we follow Him, we will not walk in darkness because we will have the light of life (John 8:12). Lord, give me the grace to walk in newness of life (Rom. 6:4)…to walk by faith and not by sight (2 Cor. 5:7)… to walk by the Spirit (Gal. 5:16)… to walk in the good works that you have prepared in advance for us to do (Eph. 2:10)… to walk in a manner worthy of the gospel (4:1)…to walk in love (5:2)… to walk as children of light (5:8)… to walk wisely (5:15)… to walk as Jesus walked (Col. 2:6; 1 John 2:6)… and to walk in the light (1 John 1:7). Lord, grant us the exceedingly great joy of seeing our own children walking in the truth (3 John 4).
Lord, you are the one who walks among your lampstands… your churches (Rev. 2:7). May we be found faithful to the end… walking in your ways and your truth. At the end, all nations shall walk by the light of your glory that will illumine our new, heavenly city (Rev. 21:24). Maranatha! In the mean time, come Lord Jesus and walk among us, be our God and take us to be your people not just for your glory but also for our eternal and temporal good, AMEN.
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