Every Promise Has a Premise

¹⁴ If my people who belong to me will humbly pray, seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land. ~ 2 Chronicles 7:14 (CEB)

Have you ever heard the adage “There ain’t no such thing as a free lunch?” “Free Lunch” was a tactic used by saloons to pull in customers back in the 30s and 40s. The concept was easy, the saloons provided patrons with a free lunch, and they, in turn, would spend lots of money on booze. Booze that was marked up higher than normal to make up for the “Free Lunch.” Hence the term and acrostic “TANSTAAFL” was born.

“If my customers, where everybody knows their name, will humbly enter my saloon, seek my spirits, and turn from their busy lives, then I will hear from behind the bar, not pass judgment on their life, and provide them a free lunch.”

We all want a “free lunch,” who doesn’t like something for free? Everyone wants God’s blessing upon their life. We want good health, plenty of cash, a nice home, clean water, good food to eat, health insurance, and lots of love and attention, and most want it NOW.

Humans fail to realize or often forget, especially regarding a personal relationship with the Creator of the universe, a.k.a. “GOD,” that “every promise has a premise.” Even in the heavenly realm, the world of the spirit, or, if you wish, the Kingdom of heaven or the Kingdom of God, there is no “Free Lunch.”

In recovery circles, “the promises” are often quoted. The Twelve Promises are combined and regularly read aloud in meetings. The promises aren’t limited to only twelve; countless promises are connected with recovery. There is; however, an important fact often overlooked or emphasized. “These promises are being fulfilled among us sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly. They will always materialize if we work for them.” (P.83-84 of the textbook Alcoholics Anonymous, a.k.a. “The BIG BOOK). Once again, validating that every promise has a premise.

“IF” is an important word regarding promises, especially with God. Too often, we approach God like Santa Claus. We come with our wish list and cross our fingers, hoping our names don’t appear on the naughty list, so God will answer our prayers and give us what we want. But God says, “IF” you want My blessing upon your life, then you must ____________! “Work for them.”

“Works” in connection with “premise” should not be confused with “Faith without works is dead.” (James 2:14-26) We are saved by grace and not works. Today we are focusing on healing and restoration, not salvation, which is God’s biggest promise, but even with that amazing promise, there is a premise.

How do you work for them? Let’s unpack one of the greatest verses in all of Scripture, 2 Corinthians 7:14.

The Breakdown of Scripture 2 Chronicles 7:14:

1. “IF” (requires something of you)
2. “My people who belong to me” (Not everyone belongs to God’s family. It takes two to say yes to God’s invitation. The best news ever is God has already said “yes,” the million-dollar question is, “will you?”)
3. “Humbly Pray” (There are many terms for humility/humble, but in summary, it means you are putting God’s interest ahead of your own. “Thy Will Not Mine Be Done.” It means coming to God with the mindset, “I can’t, God can, I think I’ll allow God to be God.” It’s putting your will in line with God’s will.” What is God’s will, you might ask? Well, it’s written down, so you’ll have “to work” to discover it.)
4. “Seek My Face” (The Hebrew word for seek is “daresh,” which means to find or obtain something of personal benefit. Seek requires action, action, and more action.)
5. “Turn from their Wicked Ways” (This verse has two keywords to unpack. The first is “Turn”: In Hebrew, turn means to repent. In Greek, the word for “repent” is metanoia, meta = turn, and noia = mind. In other words, flip your mind, change your mind, renew your mind as the Apostle Paul would say (Romans 12:2), or in recovery circles, they will suggest “a complete psychic change.” The second is “Wicked”: If I gave you a blank piece of paper and asked you this question, “what is your definition of wicked” you would give a long answer, including words associated with bodily injury, property damage, death, etc. The Hebrew definition of wicked or wickedness is “forgetting God.” Meaning you are extremely self-centered, living only for your self-interest and only caring about yourself and what you can extract from this experience called life.)
6. (So, up until now, we have discovered the “premise” of what “our part” is, in other words, “the work” necessary on our part for God’s promises to materialize in our lives.) Now let’s shift gears and look at God’s promises.
7. “God will hear from heaven” (If we do our part, God will do God’s part, and God will turn our direction and hear us. Meaning we now have God’s attention and the audience of the Creator of everything.)
8. “Forgive their sin” (Wait, I thought Jesus “paid-it-all,” and I can live as I wish, as long as I believe and confess John 3:16?” Scripture makes it clear that you must exercise your faith and repentance (it’s easy to miss that “r” word) to be adopted into God’s family (Acts 3:19). We must reconcile with our past, and turn from old self toward the new. God makes that possible through God’s grace, mercy, and love. The ability to turn is a gift in itself.)
9. “Heal Their Land” (Are you seeking healing and restoration for your physical or mental health, finances, marriage, career, or other relationships? It’s easy to ask God for healing and restoration, but are you willing to submit to the premise? Every promise has a premise! The same holds for your country. Does your country need to be healed? Are things out of control in your community, city, state, nation, or globally? Guess what? If God is to hear our cries from heaven, forgive our sins, and heal our ___________, then we must accept and exercise the premise.)

Some scholars say there are as many as 7,000 promises in Scripture, depending on how you count them (that’s a lot of promises). The Bible assures us these promises will always materialize if we accept and engage the premise. So, if you are wondering why your prayers seem to fall on deaf ears or why promises aren’t materializing in your life, start surrendering to the premise (the painstaking process) and watch what happens. You’ll be amazed before you are halfway through.

Every promise has a premise; may we never forget this truth.

Dear God, The times we’re in now feel uncertain, with Ukraine, the Middle East, China, North Korea, and inside our own country. We’re battling fear and worry at every turn. We don’t know the future, but we believe you’re holding us and won’t let go but require us to act and submit ourselves to Your premise. We’re desperate to feel your presence surrounding us. We humble ourselves before you, aware that You have control, not us, and we need Your help. Thank you that no matter what we face, we know you are still greater. We praise you for your truth and are so grateful you’ve freed us from the clutching grasp of sin and death. Forgive us, God, for the times we’ve missed the mark. Help us to live strong and walk wisely, filled by the power of your Spirit within us. Thank you that you are rich in mercy and full of grace. Thank you for your forgiveness and love. Thank you that you are strong and mighty and that you fight for us still today. Bring honor to your name, oh Lord, for you alone are worthy. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.