God’s promises were never meant to be thrown aside as waste paper; He intended that they should be used. God’s gold is not miser’s money, but is minted to be traded with. Nothing pleases our Lord better than to see His promises put in circulation; He loves to see His children bring them up to Him, and say, “Lord, do as Thou hast said.”

We glorify God when we plead His promises. Do you think that God will be any the poorer for giving you the riches He has promised? Do you dream that He will be any the less holy for giving holiness to you? Do you imagine He will be any the less pure for washing you from your sins? He has said “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”

Faith lays hold upon the promise of pardon, and it does not delay, saying, “This is a precious promise, I wonder if it be true?” but it goes straight to the throne with it, and pleads, “Lord, here is the promise, ‘Do as Thou hast said.’” Our Lord replies, “Be it unto thee even as thou wilt.”

When a Christian grasps a promise, if he do not take it to God, he dishonours Him; but when he hastens to the throne of grace, and cries, “Lord, I have nothing to recommend me but this, ‘Thou hast said it;’” then his desire shall be granted. Our heavenly Banker delights to cash His own notes.

Never let the promise rust. Draw the word of promise out of its scabbard, and use it with holy violence. Think not that God will be troubled by your importunately reminding Him of His promises. He loves to hear the loud outcries of needy souls. It is His delight to bestow favours. He is more ready to hear than you are to ask.

The sun is not weary of shining, nor the fountain of flowing. It is God’s nature to keep His promises; therefore go at once to the throne with “Do as Thou hast said.”

An old woman with an halo of silvered hair—the hot tears flowing down her furrowed cheeks—her worn hands busy over a washboard in a room of poverty— praying—for her son John—John who ran away from home in his teens to become a sailor—John, of whom it was now reported that he had become a very wicked man—praying, praying always, that her son might be of service to God.

What a marvelous subject for an artist’s brush!

The mother believed in two things, the power of prayer and the reformation of her son. So while she scrubbed, she continued to pray. God answered the prayer by working a miracle in the heart of John Newton. The black stains of sin were washed white in the blood of the Lamb. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow” (Isaiah 1:18).

The washtub prayers were heard as are all prayers when asked in His name. John Newton, the drunken sailor, became John Newton, the sailor-preacher. Among the thousands of men and women he brought to Christ was Thomas Scott, cultured, selfish, and self-satisfied. Because of the washtub prayers, another miracle was worked, and Thomas Scott used both his pen and voice to lead thousands of unbelieving hearts to Christ—among them, a dyspeptic, melancholic young man, William Cowper by name.

He, too, was washed by the cleansing Blood and in a moment of inspiration wrote:

There is a fountain filled with blood Drawn from Immanuel’s veins, And sinners, plunged beneath that flood, Lose all their guilty stains.

And this song has brought countless thousands to the Man who died on Calvary. Among the thousands was William Wilberforce, who became a great Christian statesman and unfastened the shackles from the feet of thousands of British slaves. Among those whom he led to the Lord was Leigh Richmond, a clergyman of the Established Church in one of the Channel Islands. He wrote a book, The Dairyman’s Daughter, which was translated into forty languages and with the intensity of leaping flame burned the love of Christ into the hearts of thousands.

All this resulted because a mother took God at His Word and prayed that her son’s heart might become as white as the soapsuds in the washtub.

Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord : though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

Let him take hold of my strength that he may make peace with me; and he shall make peace with me.—Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace.

Being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.—A man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ.—By the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight.

By him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.

Thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

I have seen his ways, and will heal him: I will lead him also, and restore comforts unto him and to his mourners.

Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord : though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.—Return, ye backsliding children, and I will heal your backslidings.

Behold, we come unto thee; for thou art the Lord our God.—I will hear what God the Lord will speak: for he will speak peace unto his people, and to his saints: but let them not turn again to folly.

Bless the Lord , O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases.—He restoreth my soul.—O Lord , I will praise thee: though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortedst me.

Hold thou me up, and I shall be safe.

I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.

Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord : though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

Be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee.—I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.

The Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins.—In Whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.—Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour.—Having forgiven you all trespasses, blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross.

Bless the Lord, O my soul, . . . who forgives all thine iniquities.

Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.—I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.

Put me in remembrance: let us plead together: declare thou, that thou mayest be justified.—I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins: return unto me; for I have redeemed thee.

God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.—Not as the offence, so also is the free gift.

For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.—And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

I am the Lord that healeth thee.

O Lord , thou hast searched me, and known me. Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.

Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, our secret sins in the light of thy countenance.

All things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.

Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord : though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

He is gracious unto him, and saith, Deliver him from going down to the pit: I have found a ransom.

He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him: and with his stripes we are healed.

He hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted.

Thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.

God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them.

It pleased the Father, that in him should all fulness dwell; and, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself.—Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.

I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord , thoughts of peace, and not of evil.—Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord : though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity? Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace.—Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.— Lord , thou wilt ordain peace for us: for thou also hast wrought all our works in us.

It shall come to pass, when he crieth unto me, that I will hear; for I am gracious.—I will not cast them away, neither will I abhor them, to destroy them utterly, and to break my covenant with them: for I am the Lord their God.—I will remember my covenant with thee in the days of thy youth, and I will establish unto thee an everlasting covenant.

Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord : though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.—Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord , and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.—Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.

A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench.

I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins.—I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.—Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord : though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.—I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.—Thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.

Thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption: for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back.—Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity? . . . he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy.—Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

Manasseh did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, after the abominations of the heathen, and he reared up altars for Baal.

And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the Lord.

And he made his son pass through the fire, and observed times, and used enchantments, and dealt with familiar spirits and wizards: he wrought much wickedness in the sight of the Lord, to provoke him to anger.

And when he was in affliction, he besought the Lord his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers, and prayed unto him: and he was intreated of him, and heard his supplication.

Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

The Lord is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish.