-- Thursday, 9/23/10 -- MAKING PROMISES YOU CAN KEEP -- 1 Samuel 1:11
J.R. & Bonnie Ricks
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MAKING PROMISES YOU CAN KEEP -- 1 Samuel 1:11 NIV
And she made a vow, saying, "O LORD Almighty, if you will only look upon your servant's misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the LORD for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head."
This is a tough one. I bore two sons, and have acquired five daughters, another son, several sons-in-law and daughters-in-law, and we’re now looking forward to the arrival of our 19th grandchild! And they are – each and every one – the most precious things in my life. I had no trouble conceiving either of my sons, and I have never wanted anything so badly as I wanted each of them. And I have never loved anyone so much as I love each of them. Although they're both grown and living their own lives now, I cannot imagine having given one of them up when he was a tiny boy, to send him to live in another city with someone else where I could only see him once a year. It’s difficult enough to let them go when they are grown. The pain of giving them up as children would have been incredible. But that's exactly what Hannah did. She did it because that is what she promised God she would do if He would only allow her to have him. She made a commitment to God... and she kept it.
The first thing we need to realize is that God is not someone with whom you can negotiate. He doesn't take bribes. He can't be bought off. He can't be cajoled or manipulated or convinced with fancy sales techniques. He is God Almighty. He will do what He will do, and you and I don't get a vote, much less have any influence on His decisions. What He does for us is through His infinite grace because He loves us more than we can imagine. There is no other reason. But many times we forget that. Many times we turn to God and make promises... promises we can't keep... or promises we could keep but conveniently forget about the moment our prayers are answered.
Think about how you feel when your child promises to do something if you'll only do this one thing for him. So you grant his request, and he blithely goes his way, failing to remember his promise. There are many teenagers out there who will be lucky to make it to adulthood because of that very type of behavior! So how do you think God feels when you do the same thing?
The next time you're tempted to make a promise to God, weigh that promise carefully. Make sure you intend to keep it.
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