When someone says, “I promise” or “I give you my word,” we always expect that person to keep their word. This indicates that the person is talking about something that we hope to believe is true. The word of the promise giver is a bond, a covenant that binds him. If his word is true, he is expected to be faithful to it. His promise becomes a debt that he must repay to prove his faithfulness and honesty.
A promise is an important element in any relationship. We would not make a promise to someone with whom we do not have a future, nor would anyone believe in us if we were not faithful to our word. We make promises because we value covenant, and covenant does not exist if our words are not matched by actions. A man of promise is a man of covenant. Covenant is at the center of every relationship because we give value to our words by being faithful to our commitments. We are covenant people because we have a relationship with God and with each other, and we lean on God’s promises by professing faith in Him.
Promises, Promises
Keeping your word is not an easy task. It requires many sacrifices. Promises are made for the future, even if we cannot foresee it. As humans, we make promises and fail to keep them because circumstances have changed or we ourselves have decided to change. But God is faithful in His word and good in all His actions. His promises are not dependent on changing circumstances. God made a promise to Abraham that He kept for many generations. Through Jesus, he calls us to be faithful.
Faithfulness is a two-way traffic. When we express our loyalty to God, we experience his faithfulness. Like the man who took his two sons to a game at the stadium. They were sitting together during this very controversial match. On cue, he told his two sons to stay in their seats and wait for him while he went to buy drinks and chops for the game. When he went to get them, a fight broke out in the stadium and a riot ensued. During the riot, the older son said to the younger son: “Let’s run away, because daddy won’t come back.” But the younger one said: no, I will wait for him, he gave us his word. When their daddy returned and met them in their places, the younger said to his brother: “I told you he gave us his word.” We live in God’s promises because we know Him, trust Him, and love Him. And because He lives, we can face tomorrow.
