Introduction
God's promises are one of the great driving forces of Christian faith. They give support when the situation is uncertain, direction when the future is blurred. But for a promise to truly sustain you, you need to know to whom it was made, in what circumstances and on what condition. Some concern one person or one people, others are given to all believers. These 25 verses, quoted from the World English Bible, are grouped in five stages: the promise of his presence, that of his provision, his answers to prayer, salvation and eternal life, then the return of Christ and the new creation. Each comment recalls the context to avoid hasty readings. You can choose a promise, copy it out, reread it every morning, and above all present it to God in prayer: that is how it becomes a lived reality rather than a mere quotation.
The promise of his presence
1. Genesis 28:15
"Behold, I am with you, and will keep you, wherever you go, and will bring you again into this land. For I will not leave you, until I have done that which I have spoken of to you."
Jacob flees his brother's anger and sleeps in the open, alone, unprotected. God speaks to him in a dream: "I will not leave you, until I have done that which I have spoken of to you." This promise is addressed to him personally, but it reveals the character of the One who accompanies fugitives. Read all of Genesis 28.
2. Joshua 1:5
"No man will be able to stand before you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not fail you nor forsake you."
Moses has just died and Joshua must lead the people. God reassures him with a precise promise: "As I was with Moses, so I will be with you." He promises neither ease nor the absence of enemies, but his presence. For a hesitant leader, it is the best support possible. Read all of Joshua 1.
3. Exodus 33:14
"He said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest."
After the golden calf incident, Moses refuses to move on without God's presence. Yahweh answers him: "My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest." The rest promised does not come from an easy road but from God's presence at our side. Read all of Exodus 33.
4. Matthew 28:20
"teaching them to observe all things that I commanded you. Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen."
The risen Jesus sends his disciples to make disciples of all nations. This immense mission comes with a promise that makes it possible: "I am with you always, even to the end of the age." He never sends us without accompanying us. Read all of Matthew 28.
5. Hebrews 13:5
"Be free from the love of money, content with such things as you have, for he has said, “I will in no way leave you, neither will I in any way forsake you."
The author invites readers to be content with what they have rather than cling to money. He gives the reason by quoting a word from God: "I will in no way leave you, neither will I in any way forsake you." The believer's security comes not from a bank account but from a faithful presence. Read all of Hebrews 13.
The promise of his provision
6. Philippians 4:19
"My God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus."
Paul writes to the Philippians who supported him financially though they were not rich. He promises them: "My God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory." Note that the promise speaks of needs, not wants, and that it is linked to the generosity they showed. Read all of Philippians 4.
7. Psalm 84:11
"For Yahweh God is a sun and a shield. Yahweh will give grace and glory. He withholds no good thing from those who walk blamelessly."
A Levite expresses his love for God's house. He affirms that Yahweh is a sun and a shield, who gives grace and glory and who "withholds no good thing from those who walk blamelessly." The promise is tied to an upright life, not to perfection. Read all of Psalm 84.
8. Matthew 7:11
"If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!"
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus encourages us to ask with confidence. He reasons from the lesser to the greater: if imperfect parents give good gifts to their children, "how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things." God's goodness exceeds ours. Read all of Matthew 7.
9. Psalm 34:10
"The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger, but those who seek Yahweh shall not lack any good thing."
David has experienced hunger and flight. He compares those who count on their strength, like young lions, with those who seek God. The first can suffer want, but "those who seek Yahweh shall not lack any good thing." The good God gives is what we truly need. Read all of Psalm 34.
10. Luke 12:32
"Don’t be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the Kingdom."
Jesus has just invited his disciples not to worry about food or clothing. He reassures them in a tender sentence: "Don't be afraid, little flock." He adds that their Father is pleased to give them the Kingdom. The Father gives even before we ask. Read all of Luke 12.
His answers to prayer
11. Psalm 50:15
"Call on me in the day of trouble. I will deliver you, and you will honor me."
God speaks to his people, who offer him sacrifices without truly knowing him. He proposes a simpler relationship: "Call on me in the day of trouble." He promises to deliver, and the one delivered gives him glory. Prayer here is an exchange, not a rite. Read all of Psalm 50.
12. Psalm 91:15
"He will call on me, and I will answer him. I will be with him in trouble. I will deliver him, and honor him."
In the last part of Psalm 91, it is God himself who speaks. He promises the one who loves him to answer and to be present: "I will be with him in trouble." The help promised is not always an avoidance of the problem but a companionship at the heart of it. Read all of Psalm 91.
13. Isaiah 65:24
"It will happen that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear."
God announces, through the prophet, the new times when he will fill his people with blessing. He describes a closeness such that "before they call, I will answer." God is not a counter waiting for requests. He already knows what we need and acts ahead of time. Read all of Isaiah 65.
14. Jeremiah 29:12-13
"You shall call on me, and you shall go and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You shall seek me, and find me, when you search for me with all your heart."
Jeremiah writes to exiles in Babylon, in a letter that also contains the famous verse 11. God promises to answer them: "You shall seek me, and find me, when you search for me with all your heart." The promise is first addressed to a specific people, but it shows how God loves to respond. Read all of Jeremiah 29.
15. Matthew 18:19-20
"Again, assuredly I tell you, that if two of you will agree on earth concerning anything that they will ask, it will be done for them by my Father who is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am in the middle of them."
Jesus speaks about church life and how to settle conflicts between brothers. He adds that shared prayer has particular weight, because "where two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am in the middle of them." The promise concerns his presence among his own. Read all of Matthew 18.
Salvation and eternal life
16. 1 John 2:25
"This is the promise which he promised us, the eternal life."
John writes to believers disturbed by false teachers. To strengthen them, he summarizes in one sentence what Jesus promised: "This is the promise which he promised us, the eternal life." It is the essential that cannot be disputed, and the greatest thing God has promised. Read all of 1 John 2.
17. Acts 2:38-39
"Peter said to them, “Repent, and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you, and to your children, and to all who are far off, even as many as the Lord our God will call to himself."
On the day of Pentecost, Peter answers the crowd shaken by his message. He invites them to repent and be baptized, then announces that "the promise is to you, and to your children" and to those who are far off. The gift of the Holy Spirit is reserved for no one in particular. Read all of Acts 2.
18. Romans 4:20-21
"Yet, looking to the promise of God, he didn’t waver through unbelief, but grew strong through faith, giving glory to God, and being fully assured that what he had promised, he was also able to perform."
Paul takes Abraham as an example. The patriarch received a humanly impossible promise, a son at a hundred years old. Instead of doubting, he was "being fully assured that what he had promised, he was also able to perform." Faith does not ignore the difficulty, it looks higher. Read all of Romans 4.
19. 2 Peter 1:3-4
"seeing that his divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and virtue, by which he has granted to us his precious and exceedingly great promises; that through these you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world by lust."
Peter reminds his readers that God's power has given us everything that pertains to life and godliness. Through the knowledge of him who called us, he has granted us "his precious and exceedingly great promises." They serve to make us partakers of his nature. Read all of 2 Peter 1.
20. John 6:37
"All those whom the Father gives me will come to me. He who comes to me I will in no way throw out."
Jesus speaks to the crowd that followed him for bread. He speaks a promise of welcome: "He who comes to me I will in no way throw out." No one is turned away at his door. This word applies to the one who hesitates as well as to the one who comes from far away. Read all of John 6.
The return of Christ and the new creation
21. 2 Peter 3:9
"The Lord is not slow concerning his promise, as some count slowness; but he is patient with us, not wishing that anyone should perish, but that all should come to repentance."
Peter answers those who mock the waiting for Christ's return. He affirms that "The Lord is not slow concerning his promise." What looks like a delay is patience: God gives time so that all may come to repentance. Read all of 2 Peter 3.
22. 2 Peter 3:13
"But, according to his promise, we look for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells."
After describing the end of this world, Peter turns to hope. Christians wait, according to God's promise, for "new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells." This hope does not destroy the present, it orients it toward a future where everything is set right. Read all of 2 Peter 3.
23. Isaiah 65:17
"For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former things will not be remembered, nor come into mind."
God announces through Isaiah a renewed creation, at a time when the people still live among ruins. He declares: "I create new heavens and a new earth." And he adds that the former things will not be remembered. Today's tears are not the last word. Read all of Isaiah 65.
24. Acts 1:11
"who also said, “You men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who was received up from you into the sky, will come back in the same way as you saw him going into the sky."
The disciples gaze at the sky after Jesus's ascension. Two men in white clothing tell them: "This Jesus, who was received up from you into the sky, will come back in the same way as you saw him going into the sky." The promise of his return is the first answer to their sadness. Read all of Acts 1.
25. 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17
"For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with God’s trumpet. The dead in Christ will rise first, then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air. So we will be with the Lord forever."
Paul writes to comfort believers who are mourning their dead. He describes the Lord's return, the resurrection of those who died in Christ, and then the meeting with the living. The text concludes with "we will be with the Lord forever," a promise that changes how we grieve. Read all of 1 Thessalonians 4.
Further reading
Frequently Asked Questions
How many promises of God are there in the Bible?
You sometimes hear the figure of 3,000 promises, but there is no official count: it all depends on what you call a promise. What matters is to read each one in its context, to know to whom it is addressed, and to remember that, according to 2 Corinthians 1:20, all find their Yes in Christ.
How can I know if a biblical promise applies to me?
Ask yourself to whom it was addressed, in what situation and under what condition. A promise made to Israel in exile, like Jeremiah 29:11, reveals God's character without being a personal contract. Those concerning his presence, salvation or his love apply to all believers.
What should you do when a promise of God is slow to be fulfilled?
Remember that Abraham waited years, and that 2 Peter 3:9 sees in what seems a delay a mark of patience. Keep praying, leave the timing to God and stay faithful in what he asks of you today. Talk to believers who can support you during the wait.