Problem vs. Promise

I was listening to a radio broadcast today from Chip Ingram and he asked a question that immediately grabbed my attention.

Are we praying problem-based prayers, or promise-based prayers?

Most of us pray problem-based prayers, don't we? We come to God with our problems. It's usually a long list. And we spend our entire prayer time complaining to God about our problems. I know I'm guilty of doing this. Most people I know pray this way.

But what if, instead of problem-based praying, we were to start promise-based prayers? Promise-based praying forces us to trust God's promises. It forces us to trust that God is who he says he is and that he'll do all he promised to do.

That's exactly what King David did in 2 Samuel 7. When you read David's prayer it seems awfully bold. But he's just asking/telling God to live up to his end of the bargin, to do what he promised to do.

What if you started doing the same thing? Pick a few things that God has promised and make those the focus of your prayers. Boldly ask God to do what he's said he would do. 

I am confident that changing our prayers from problem-based to promise-based with change our lives.