Renewing Our Minds With God’s Promises - The One Year Women's Friendship Devotional

Renewing Our Minds with God’s Promises

The LORD’s promises are pure, like silver refined in a furnace, purified seven times over. Psalm 12:6

Ruth Bell Graham was very burdened for her eldest son, who for years had been running away from God and other people’s expectations of what he “should be” as Billy Graham’s son. He smoked, drank, fought, and was expelled from college. One night Ruth couldn’t sleep and as usual became preoccupied with worry about her son. What will happen to him? Where is he tonight? When will he come home?

As she battled her fears and imaginings, she heard God whisper, Stop studying all the problems and start studying my promises. She couldn’t mistake the voice; she knew it was God’s. So Ruth switched on the lights and opened her Bible. As she read, she realized what had been missing in all the prayers for her son: thanksgiving and worship. Straightaway she set down her Bible and let the Scriptures she had read renew her mind and her faith. She began to worship God, thanking him for his precious and pure promises, thanking him not only for her son but even for the heartaches and trials he had brought to her life. It was as if a light had turned on. As her fears vanished and her mind rested on God and his promises, it dawned on her that worship and worry simply couldn’t live together. She could choose to worry, or she could choose to worship. It wasn’t a difficult decision to make.

—CHERI

Father, I confess that I’ve been studying my problems much more than dwelling on you and your precious promises. Renew my mind by your truth, and renew my heart that I may see you and worship you.

If only we would stop lamenting and look up, God is here. Christ is risen. The Spirit has been poured out from on high.

—A. W. TOZER (1897–1963), AMERICAN PASTOR, PREACHER, AND AUTHOR