Believing Love

Read: Daniel 9:1-17

O Lord, you are a great and awesome God! You always fulfill your covenant and keep your promises of unfailing love to those who love you and obey your commands. Daniel 9:4

IN WORD

Daniel knew the basis of prayer. Our relationship with God is not based on performance. Obedience is part of it, of course, but this is first and foremost a “covenant of love.” God’s promises for blessing and His answers to prayer come from the goodness of His heart, the outpouring of love He offers to all who love Him. Obedience is the result of the relationship of love, not its source.

Many people don’t understand that. In fact, most theistic religions believe that the favor of God is based primarily on the performance of the people who worship Him. That’s human nature, and it can affect the mind-set of Christians as much as anyone. Our tendency is to base relationships on works, not to base works on relationships. But God defies our tendencies. He keeps His covenant of love.

IN DEED

Remember this truth when you are pleading God’s promises. It isn’t a matter of twisting His arm or finding all the right hoops to jump through. God’s will for our lives isn’t a jigsaw puzzle that will ultimately frustrate us because we couldn’t see the picture clearly enough. His will is a covenant of love, and He is more than willing to fulfill it. He responds to our humble faith, not our impressive spiritual qualifications.

When you realize what God has prophesied and promised for a particular situation in your life, avoid the two extremes. On the one hand, don’t sit passively by as though God’s promise is fate, sure to happen whether you participate in it or not. On the other hand, don’t shift into performance mode in a subtle attempt to bribe God with good behavior or convince Him with persuasive arguments. Simply come to Him in faith, asking Him to do as He has said. The great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant of love, will answer you on that basis alone.

ADDITIONAL READING: Numbers 23:19

The permanence of God’s character guarantees the fulfillment of His promises.

A. W. PINK