God loves to hear His own words prayed back to Him!

There are two words that are very powerful when used in prayer.  These words are simply “you said“.

In Genesis 31:2, God makes a promise to Jacob.  Involved in that promise is one of the most faith-giving promises in Scripture — “I will be with you”.  A promise that means God will do us good and pour out His favor upon us!  Then later, when in deep crises, Jacob cries out to God in prayer and reminds God of His promise to him.  Listen to what he says:  But you said, “I will surely do you good”… and Jacob said, “O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, O LORD who said to me, ‘Return to you country and to your kindred that I may do you good’.  Genesis 32:12, 32:9

We remind God in prayer of what He has said and call Him to be faithful to His word.  Attaching God’s promises to people and situations is the very backbone of all faith-filled praying.

–excerpted from Timothy Keller’s Take Words with You