This past weekend, I took a country drive past corn fields and wheat fields. Some already harvested, others underway. And down by the river, along a winding road, I encountered an apple orchard—an entire grove of trees that, row by row, had ripe red apples ready for picking.
It reminded me of something E.M. Bounds wrote in his book The Possibilities of Prayer: the promises of God found in His Word are like fruit trees ready for picking. These promises, like fruit, are picked by prayer. Otherwise, this fruit lies dormant.
Think of all the different things you can enjoy with apples. You can eat them fresh, slice them for apple pie, fry them as a topping for pancakes, or cook them into applesauce. My favorite is apple butter—putting apples into a crockpot with cinnamon, cloves, and brown sugar fills the house with a lovely aroma.
God’s Word: An Orchard Full of Promises
Searching through God’s Word is much like walking through that orchard. His Word is full of promises ripe for the picking by praying and asking Him to do what He has promised to do. Though He has promised to do something, without our asking, He is under no obligation to simply do it for us.
Pray these promises in the podcast:
The Promise of Perfect Peace
Isaiah 26:3 - “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.”
Isaiah’s Promise of Strength
Isaiah 41:10, - “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
God Upholds Our Steps
Psalm 37:23-24 - “The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him; though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand.”
The Promise of Wisdom
In James 1:5, God promises to give wisdom: “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”
Peace That Guards Our Hearts
In Philippians 4:6-7, we’re told: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
And more promises
* Provision: “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 4:19
* Love: “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” – Romans 8:38-39
* Teaching: “He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way.” Psalm 25:9
* Answer Prayers: “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.” Matthew 7:7
Picking the Ripest Fruit
E.M. Bounds writes: “Prayer goes by faith into the great fruit orchard of God’s exceedingly great and precious promises, and with hand and heart picks the ripest and richest fruit.”
The great promises found in Scripture find their fulfillment through prayer. As Spurgeon said:
“Every promise of Scripture is a writing of God which may be pleaded before Him with this reasonable request: Do as Thou hast said. Our heavenly Father will not break His word to His own children. ‘Remember the word unto Thy servant, on which Thou hast caused me to hope’ is most prevalent pleading. It is a double argument—it is Thy word, wilt Thou not keep it? Why hast Thou spoken of it if Thou wilt not make it good? Thou hast caused me to hope in it, wilt Thou disappoint the hope which Thou hast Thyself begotten in me?”
When we go before the throne of grace and ask what He has promised, we can expect our Lord to answer exactly as He has promised. Let us go to our loving Heavenly Father and pick the fruit of His promises through prayer.
