The Promises of God

Matthew Henry

It is the unspeakable privilege of all believers to have, as a certain possession, the precious promises of God. We have them as manifest tokens of God's favour towards us; and every one of them is yea and amen, in Christ Jesus our Lord. We have them as fruits of Christ's purchase. The Lord having purchased us with His own blood we have these promises produced by that, inestimable grace. They are plain and ample declarations of the goodwill of God towards man, and are therefore as God's part of the covenant of grace. They are a foundation of our faith, and we have them as such; and also of our hope.

On these we are to build all our expectations from God; and in all temptations and trials we have them to rest our souls upon. We have them as the directions and encouragements of our desires in prayer. Seek and you shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto you. They are the guide of our desires and the ground of our hope in prayer. Therefore, let us review some of these blessed promises of God.

1. He has promised that we shall be His people.
   “Therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people; for all the earth is mine.” (Exodus 19:5.)
   
   
2. That all our sins shall be pardoned.
   “I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.” (Isaiah 43:25.)
   
   
3. That our corruptions shall be subdued.
   “For sin shall not have dominion over you; for ye are not under the law but under grace.” (Romans 6:14.)
   
   
4. That the Spirit of grace shall be given us, to enable us for our duty in everything.
   “I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments and do them.” (Ezekiel 36:27.)
   
   
5. That He will give us the knowledge of His truth, and the comfort and benefit of it.
   “Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:32.)
   
   
6. That He will be tender to those that are weak.
   “He shall feed his flock like a Shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.” (Isaiah 40: 11.
   
   
7. That He will direct us in the way of our duty.
   “Good and upright is the Lord: therefore will he teach sinners in the way. The meek will he guide in judgment, and the meek will he teach in his way.” (Psalm 25:8-9.)
   
   
8. That He will protect us from everything that is really evil.
   “The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul. The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in, from this time forth and even for evermore.” (Psalm 121: 7-8.)
   
   
9. That He will supply us with all good.
   “The young lions do lack and suffer hunger; but they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing.” (Psalm 34:10.)
   
   
10. That He will answer our prayers.
    “Whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” (John 14:13.)
    
    
11. That He will silence our fears.
    “I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not, I will help thee.” (Isaiah 41:13.)
    
    
12. That He will bear us up under our burdens.
    “The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.” (Deuteronomy 33:27.)
    
    
13. That He will give us a sure and lasting peace.
    “The work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance for ever.” (Isaiah 32:17.)
    
    
14. That He will deliver us in and under our troubles.
    “Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name. He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honour him.” (Psalm 91:14-15.)
    
    
15. That He will proportion our trials to our strength.
    “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that you may be able to bear it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13.)
    
    
16. That He will put true honour upon us.
    “Them that honour me I will honour.” (1 Samuel 2:30.)
17. That He will comfort and relieve us in sickness.
    “The Lord will strengthen him upon the bed of languishings: thou wilt make all his bed in his sickness.” (Psalm 41:3.)
    
    
18. That He will prevent our apostasy from Him.
    “I will make an everlasting covenant with them, and I will not turn away from them to do them good; but I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me.” (Jeremiah 32:40.)
    
    
19. That He will make all events conduce to our real welfare.
    “We know that all things work together for good to them that love God, know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28.)
20. That He will perfect the work of grace in us.
    “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 1:6.)
    
    
21. That He will be with us when we are old, to bear us up under all our infirmities.
    “Even to your old age I am he; and even to hoary hairs will I carry you: I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and I will deliver you.” (Isaiah 46:4.)
    
    
22. That He will never desert us in any emergency whatsoever.
    “For he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” (Hebrews 13:5.)
    
    
23. That He will make up all our losses for His name's sake.
    “Every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.” (Matthew 19:29.)
    
    
24. That He will be with us when we come to die.
    “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” (Psalm 23.25.)
    
    
25. That He will raise our bodies to life again.
    “This is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.” (John 6:40.)
    
    
26. That He will put us into possession of everlasting bliss.
    “And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life.” (1 John 2:25.)
    
    

And now what shall we say to these things? Let us be thankful to God for all these great and precious promises, that God should not only do us good, but engage Himself by promises to do so. Let us be ashamed of ourselves that we have not lived more upon these promises. Let us encourage ourselves with these promises to go on cheerfully and resolutely in the way of our duty.

This Page Title – The Promises of God by Matthew Henry The Wicket Gate Magazine "A Continuing Witness". Internet Edition number 83 – placed on line March 2010 Magazine web address – www.wicketgate.co.uk