Years ago, we were driving home when my younger daughter requested; “Daddy, please buy snacks for me.” Just to pull her legs, I asked; “Why should I buy it for you?” Her response held me accountable; “You promised me yesterday that you would buy it for me today.” I quickly had to pull over and fulfil her request.
Friend, learn to remind God of His promises. What has God promised you? Are you holding Him accountable? If I, as a human father, could go all the way and fulfil my promise to my daughter, how much more our heavenly Father, the Almighty God (Matthew 7:11)? The problem is not about God keeping His promises. It is about believers holding Him accountable.
Reminding God of His promises does not imply that God has forgotten. It only implies that we need to show that we have not forgotten and are still interested. Why would you make a request to God in prayers and forget that you have made one? There are no causal moments with God (Ecclesiastes 5:6). Once you say it, Heaven swings to action.
Sometimes, people pray without having the mind to receive an answer (James 1:6-8). I could imagine my daughter patiently and excitedly anticipating the day I planned to buy her the snacks. She couldn’t wait to remind me and make her demands. Don’t be like the disciples who prayed for the release of Peter only to doubt his appearance at the door (Acts 12:12-16). They were praying religiously, not intentionally.
Like that little girl (Rhoda) in Acts 12, God wants us to have the faith of a little child. With little children, anything is possible; whether it is buying them an aeroplane or releasing Peter from the prison (Acts 12:13-14). Don’t allow age to affect your faith. Don’t allow life’s experiences to colour your perspectives about God (Luke 1:18-20). The older you grow, the more you should believe God. God wants us to remain child-like even when we become grandparents (Mark 10:15).
On a flip note, God is not obligated to do what He has not promised you (Numbers 23:19). This is another misconception about prayers. A lot of people think that prayer is about arm-twisting God to do what we want Him to do. Prayer is asking God to do what He promised to do (1 John 5:14). You need to get God’s promise on a matter before you can really pray intelligently and effectively (Romans 4:21).
‘Demola Awoyele
Lead Pastor,
Destiny Impact Church
Akure, Nigeria