应许的有效性和可靠性，取决于应许者的品格和能力；正如支票的有效性是在于签支票人的信用和银行存款的数目。神的圣洁属性和信实令祂的所有应许都成为可信。所罗门王说：「凡……应许赐福的话，一句都没有落空」（王上八56）。旧约伟大的祷告勇士，不断提醒神祂作过甚么应许，这使研究的人无不感到惊讶。例如我们在今天的经文中看到：「照你所说的而行」。

要神实行祂的话不是自大，只要我们肯定那应许适用于我们的特定情况。请留意以上这一句话，因为它十分重要。今天经文的第25和26节的要求，是建立在前面几节的应许上。在「复兴祷告」中，会众将自己的渴望延伸到神所应许的范围里，并要求神根据祂所说「属灵的复苏将要来自主的显现」的话，信守祂的应许。

「神的属性令祂的所有应许都成为可信」

进深研究
彼前一1-9；来六17，十一17-19

1. 透过神的应许我们分享了甚么东西？
2. 亚伯拉罕证明了甚么？

祈祷
天父，今天的讯息为我打开了无限的可能性，不过我也明白，我也许会因此在不相干或不适切的情况下仍要您实现应许。求您给我懂得分辨的智慧。奉耶稣的名祈求，阿们。

Heaven-Sent Revival

Day 350

What is a promise?

"And now, Lord God, keep for ever the promise you have made...Do as you promised..." (v.25)

Bible reading:
2 Samuel 7:18-29

18 Then King David went in and sat before the Lord, and he said: "Who am I, Sovereign Lord, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far?

19 And as if this were not enough in your sight, Sovereign Lord, you have also spoken about the future of the house of your servant—and this decree, Sovereign Lord, is for a mere human![a]

20 "What more can David say to you? For you know your servant, Sovereign Lord.

21 For the sake of your word and according to your will, you have done this great thing and made it known to your servant.

22 "How great you are, Sovereign Lord! There is no one like you, and there is no God but you, as we have heard with our own ears.

23 And who is like your people Israel—the one nation on earth that God went out to redeem as a people for himself, and to make a name for himself, and to perform great and awesome wonders by driving out nations and their gods from before your people, whom you redeemed from Egypt?[b]

24 You have established your people Israel as your very own forever, and you, Lord, have become their God.

25 "And now, Lord God, keep forever the promise you have made concerning your servant and his house. Do as you promised,

26 so that your name will be great forever. Then people will say, 'The Lord Almighty is God over Israel!' And the house of your servant David will be established in your sight.

27 "Lord Almighty, God of Israel, you have revealed this to your servant, saying, 'I will build a house for you.' So your servant has found courage to pray this prayer to you.

28 Sovereign Lord, you are God! Your covenant is trustworthy, and you have promised these good things to your servant.

29 Now be pleased to bless the house of your servant, that it may continue forever in your sight; for you, Sovereign Lord, have spoken, and with your blessing the house of your servant will be blessed forever."

Message

Yesterday we ended with the thought "prayers which plead promises are guaranteed success". This raises this question: What is a promise? A promise has been defined as, "a written declaration that binds the person who makes it to do or forbear from doing a specified act." When used of God, it is His pledge or undertaking to do or refrain from doing a certain thing. Such promises form the basis of the prayer of faith.

The validity and dependability of a promise rests on the character and resources of the one who makes it, just as the validity of a bank cheque depends on the honour and bank balance of the one who signs it. It is the holy character and faithfulness of God that makes all His promises credible. "Not one word has failed of all the good promises," said King Solomon (1 Kings 8:56). Those who have studied the great prayers of the Old Testament are struck by the way in which the prayer warriors continually reminded God of the promises He had made. We see this, for example, in the passage before us today: "Do as you promised".

It is not presumptuous to take God at His Word, providing we are sure that the promise applies to our particular situation. Note that last statement, for it is extremely important. The requests in verses 25 and 26 of today's passage are built on the promises in the previous verses. In "revival praying" men and women stretch their desires to the width of God's promises and hold God to the pledge He has made that times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.

"God's character makes all His promises credible"

Prayer
O Father, I see that this throws open infinite possibilities to me. But I see also the danger of holding You to a promise that is not relevant or applicable. Give me the wisdom to know the difference. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

Further study
1 Peter 1:1-9
Hebrews 6:17; 11:17-19

1. What have we become partakers of through the promises?
2. What did Abraham prove?

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