2024 Fasting Devotional

Streams in the Desert: Morning and Evening

By L.B. Cowman, Compiler

“Do as you promised . . . that your name will be great forever.”

1 Chronicles 17:23-24 

This is one of the most blessed aspects of genuine prayer. Often we ask for things that God has not specifically promised. Therefore we are not sure if our petitions are in line with His purpose, until we have persevered for some time in prayer. Yet on some occasions, and this was one in the life of David, we are fully persuaded that what we are asking is in accordance with God’s will. We feel led to select and plead a promise from the pages of Scripture, having been specially impressed that it contains a message for us. At these times, we may say with confident faith, “Do as you promised.”

Hardly any stance could be more completely beautiful, strong, or safe than that of putting your finger on a promise of God’s divine Word and then claiming it. Doing so requires no anguish, struggle, or wrestling but simply presenting the check and asking for cash. It is as simple as producing the promise and claiming its fulfillment. Nor will there be any doubt or cloudiness about the request. If all requests were this definitive, there would be much more interest in prayer. It is much better to claim a few specific things than to make twenty vague requests. ~F. B. MEYER

Every promise of Scripture is a letter from God, which we may plead before Him with this reasonable request: “Do as you promised.” Our Creator will never cheat those of us of His creation who depend upon His truth. And even more, our heavenly Father will never break His word to His own child.

“Remember your word to your servant, for you have given me hope” (Psalm 119:49). This is a very common plea and is a double argument, for it is “your word.” Will You not keep it? Why have You spoken it, if You will not make it good? “You have given me hope.” Will You now disappoint the hope that You Yourself have brought forth within me?   CHARLES H. SPURGEON

“Being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised” (Romans 4:21).

It is the everlasting faithfulness of God that makes a Bible promise “very great and precious” (2 Peter 1:4). Human promises are often worthless, and many broken promises have left broken hearts. But since the creation of the world, God has never broken a single promise to one of His trusting children.

Oh, how sad it is for a poor Christian to stand at the very door of a promise during a dark night of affliction, being afraid to turn the knob and thereby come boldly into the shelter as a child entering his Father’s house! ~WILLIAM GURNAL

Every promise of God’s is built on four pillars. The first two are His justice and holiness, which will never allow Him to deceive us. The third is His grace or goodness, which will not allow Him to forget. And the fourth is His truth, which will not allow Him to change. This enables Him to accomplish everything He has promised. ~SELECTED

Prayer

Father, I thank you that you are always faithful to your promises in our lives into radiant testimonies of your faithfulness.  During this fast, I defer and surrender to your work in the midst of the challenges I am facing. I revel in your promise to “make all things new” (Rev. 21:5) when you come again in all your glory. In Jesus name, Amen.

SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINE

Is there a promise in your life that God has brought to pass for you? Take a moment today to write down that fulfilled promise and make it a point to share it with someone that you know is going through a hard season right now. Your heartbreak of yesterday is now a beautiful and important part of your testimony of God’s faithfulness.  Like Joseph, how has God used your story to impact the lives of others around you?

L.B. COWMAN. Streams in the Desert: Morning and Evening Devotions (p. 172). Zondervan.