Written by Pastor Jack Wellman– D. L. Moody
D.L. Moody Quote Commentary
D. L. Moody’s quote that God never made a promise that was too good to be true is easy to misunderstand. It is easy to get and believe that God can make mountains fall in the sea at a mere word. After all, this is the same God that called the universe into existence. No problem there. The big issue is whether, as Christians, we are going to assume the right position when it comes to God’s promises. This is the big challenges because it is too easy to turn God, in our minds, into our own personal ‘genie’-existing solely to solve our problems. It is too easy to pray to God for a football, soccer, or basketball victory or to claim ‘God is on our side.’ How can he not be? After all, there are more than enough promises in the Bible that can be read to favor whatever outcome we want, right? Sadly, this is the wrong way to claim God’s promises. Even if we have faith, it is too easy to use faith the wrong way.
It is not about us
God’s promises in the bible have always been about one thing and one thing alone: God’s glory. You see, the Devil has done a spectacular job of distorting God. From a bully to a genie to a butler, the Devil spews out lie after lie about the character of God. A sincere and honest reading of the Bible and Jesus’ words regarding the power of faith leads to one conclusion: God’s promises are all about His glory and our salvation. This means, the promises must lead to God’s agenda not ours. This means that instead of praying that our problems disappear because it would be more convenient, we should pray that the outcome be in accordance with God’s will. In short, put his agenda front and center, not ours. This is hard to do because we are all self-absorbed and self-centered. We measure the world based on our needs and concerns. The truth is that God is above and beyond us. He has his own center of gravity. Indeed, he is the center of gravity for everything that was, is, and ever will be. Our needs, our concerns, our prayers, and our lives should be centered on His will.
Pray for His Will
By refocusing our prayers on helping us achieve God’s will, we unlock the power of God’s promises. His words aren’t void. His promises aren’t dead. They have life. We have just been trying to unlock them using self-centered ‘faith.’ Instead, when praying, we should ask to do His will and stand back. Prepare to be amazed.
