“If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking” (James 1:5 NLT).

When we pray, we can claim the promises of God. Why do we do this? Because it helps us remember what God has promised. Did you know there are over 7,000 promises in the Bible? These promises provide the answer to all our needs and problems.

Prayer focuses our attention on God and helps us to see that he is bigger and more powerful than any of our concerns. And as we see God answer our prayers, our faith deepens.

Faith is the key that unlocks the door to God’s power.

Here are just a few of God’s promises:

• “The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still” (Exodus 14:14 NIV).
• “He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength” (Isaiah 40:29 ESV).
• “But those who trust in the Lord for help will find their strength renewed. They will rise on wings like eagles; they will run and not get weary; they will walk and not grow weak” (Isaiah 40:31 GNT).
• “Don’t be afraid, because I am with you. Don’t be intimidated; I am your God. I will strengthen you. I will help you. I will support you with my victorious right hand” (Isaiah 41:10 GW).
• “If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking” (James 1:5 NLT).
• “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9 ESV).
• “It is the Lord who goes before you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or abandon you. Do not fear or be dismayed” (Deuteronomy 31:8 AMP).
• “But my God shall supply your every need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19 MEV).
• “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me” (Psalm 23:4 NASB).
• “You willingly forgive, and your love is always there for those who pray to you” (Psalm 86:5 CEV).

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Talk It Over

Choose one of the promises from today’s devotional, and write a prayer to God expressing your gratitude for his unfailing love and faithfulness. Talk to him about his promise, and tell him that you are trusting in him to fulfill his promise. Here’s an example:

God’s Promise

“If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking” (James 1:5 NLT).

Sample Prayer

“Father, there are so many times I forget to ask for what I truly need, and wisdom is on top of the list. I’m so grateful for this Scripture and the promise it holds. Thank you for being so generous and willing to give me the wisdom I need in my everyday circumstances. God, I want to live by the promises and principles in your Word — not by the world’s standards. Teach me to boldly ask for wisdom daily so I can navigate life according to your will and for your glory. I ask this in Jesus’ precious name. Amen.”

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Today’s devotional is an excerpt from Rick Warren’s study “Experience God’s Power Through Prayer,” available here[JW1] .

In fact, the basis of all miracles is God’s sovereignty. What does that mean? It means he is God Almighty, who has all power in Heaven and on Earth, so his purpose and his will prevail. We learn to trust his wisdom and his goodness. We learn about his loving nature and his generous character.

And we mature in faith as we understand that God has a better view of our circumstances than we do, and that he knows what is best for us. He can see our future, and we can’t. The Bible says, “But his plans endure forever; his purposes last eternally” (Psalm 33:11 GNT).

God’s unlimited resources are available to you. Twenty times in the New Testament it says, “Ask.” Isn’t it encouraging to know that things out of our control are not out of God’s control? You may not be able to change a situation, but you can pray and God can change it.

You may be thinking, “If I can pray and ask God to change things, and if God is really in control of everything, why don’t I get everything I pray for?” Here are three reasons:

God is not a genie

Just because we pray, that doesn’t mean we get whatever we want. If every prayer were answered, we’d be spoiled brats. If you’re a parent, do you give your children everything they ask for? Probably not. As an adult, you know what’s best for them. You can see the bigger picture. If we can see the bigger picture for our kids, how much bigger is the picture that God can see for us?

Sometimes Christians pray in conflict

Sometimes Christians pray for different outcomes, even though they’re praying about the same thing. Which prayer is God going to answer? God can’t answer every prayer in the same way at the same time.

God knows what’s best, and we don’t

The Bible says, “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: 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 what we asked of him” (1 John 5:14-15 NIV). That’s how Jesus prayed: “Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine” (Luke 22:42 NLT).

Prayer works. It isn’t a waste of your time. God is in control, and he wants to hear your prayers — he is listening!

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Talk It Over

• If you’ve ever wondered if prayer really works, how did God show you that he was listening and that prayer does work?
• How can your prayers change, knowing that God is listening and that he will answer?
• What does it mean to ask according to God’s will, as 1 John 5:14-15 says?

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Today’s devotional is an excerpt from Rick Warren’s study, “Experience God’s Power Through Prayer,” available here[JW1] .

“Open my eyes, so that I may see the wonderful truths in your law” (Psalm 119:18 GNT).

The Bible is filled with countless examples of people getting God’s vision, including Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, Hosea, Jonah, and Micah. Seeing God’s vision for your life is not a crazy thing. God often uses a mental picture to clarify the next step he wants you to take.

I don’t have to explain this to people who are visual thinkers. Maybe that’s you: When you read a story in the Bible, you can see that story in vivid Technicolor. When you read a book, you’re picturing the story in your mind the whole time.

But for the rest of us, it’s a little harder. I am not a visual thinker. I tend to think in words, not pictures.

So how do you get God’s vision if you’re not a visual thinker?

First, ask God a specific question.

In your quiet time, after you’ve read the Bible and prayed, just be quiet and wait before God. You could ask, “God, is there anything you want to say to me?” And then you wait. “God, is there anything I need to know that I’m not thinking about?” And then you wait.

James 1:5 says, “If any of you need wisdom, you should ask God, and it will be given to you. God is generous and won’t correct you for asking” (CEV). God wants you to ask him for advice, and he wants you to be specific. He’s waiting for you to ask!

Second, look into God’s Word to see what God might want to say to you.

Psalm 119:18 is a verse you should memorize: “Open my eyes, so that I may see the wonderful truths in your law” (GNT). It’s a good verse to pray as you open up God’s Word. Every answer to every problem you have is in that book. But you’ve got to read it, study it, memorize it, and meditate on it as you seek God’s vision for your life or even just for today.

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Talk It Over

• Why do you think it’s so hard to be still and wait on God and his answers?
• What is keeping you from being still before God so that you can ask him questions and dig into his Word?
• What vision has God given you? What do you think you’re supposed to do about it?