God has great blessings in store for those willing to claim them. That may sound strange. All of us, it seems, want to be blessed; do you mean that we are unwilling to claim God’s promises?
Claiming a promise from God involves more than saying, “I want God to bless me.”
The people of God to whom Isaiah 41 is directed were living in captivity. Their nation had been overtaken by the Babylonians, and they would be enslaved for 70 years. In the midst of this situation, God spoke through the prophet Isaiah and gave a promise that, if claimed, could bring great blessing.
We need to look at both the promise and how to claim it; then, by claiming the promise God set forth here, we can experience joy and peace in the face of great conflict.
- Acknowledge God’s presence
- The promise
- “So do not fear, for I am with you” Isaiah 41:10
- We are never beyond the reach of God
- We are never beyond the help of God
- The promise
- Accept His help
- The promise
- “I will strengthen you and help you” Isaiah 41:10
- Acknowledge your need
- Get a correct perspective on God
- The promise
- Appropriate God’s promises
- The promise
- Let God minister
- Be submissive
- Be available
- Walk with God daily
- The average 70-year-old spends
- 3 years in education
- 8 years in amusement
- 6 years at the dinner table
- 5 years in transportation
- 4 years in conversation
- 3 years in sickness and convalescing
- < 1 year with God if we spend 90 minutes in service weekly and ten minutes in prayer daily
- The average 70-year-old spends
God has rich and abundant promises for His people in every situation. We have the responsibility to claim those promises. We have to decide whether we want to experience the blessings reserved for us.
We have looked at a promise given thousands of years ago. What does that have to do with a 20th-century person? It says to us today, you can be blessed if you will: acknowledge God’s presence, accept His help, and appropriate God’s promises.
