Can unfulfilled promises made to God be the cause of life's troubles?

Can unfulfilled promises made to God be the cause of life's troubles?

Today I want to address an issue that many people have given up on in their lives. Namely: Can unfulfilled promises made to God be the cause of life's troubles?

So, about promises. And what happens if you don't keep them.

Our relationships with each other are built in such a way that we consciously or subconsciously react very painfully to someone's unfulfilled promises. In this case, we have a legitimate moral right to take offense at the person and, if not to stop communicating with him altogether, then at least to stop trusting him.

If he justifies himself by saying: why are you offended, it just happened, it happens to everyone - these arguments are of little consolation to us. Because each of us knows that if we are facing the problem of inability to fulfill a promise, we should at least call in advance, apologize, try to find some solution. The issue in this case is not just a matter of offense. It is a question of moral properties of a person. If he breaks his promises easily, it is a question of internal moral attitudes.

In this sphere of communication everything is probably very clear. We encounter such manifestations from time to time, some more often, some less often, maybe even we ourselves are guilty of not fulfilling some promises.

But what about in your relationship with God?

There are many places in the Bible that tell us that it has always been normal practice to make vows to God. In the book of Numbers there is a whole set of laws about how vows to God should be made. They could be different. They could be simple or complicated. They could be deliberate or said on a momentary impulse.

A vow is something that is not required of a believer. It is something that is given voluntarily. But I would say conditionally voluntary. If, for example, you are interested in a marriage relationship, you cannot begin it without first making certain vows. Without making wedding vows. There are some people who would like to be in a marriage relationship without making any vows or fulfilling the promise. It is clear that such a union cannot exist. If you are interested in being friends with someone, there are a number of written and unwritten laws about what kind of promises must be fulfilled if people want to be friends.

There is a relationship of partners. There are vows and responsibilities for not keeping them.

A word given to someone is easy to break, but the consequences are hard to undo because every broken promise leaves a crack in the trust.

It all seems very logical and understandable until it comes to a relationship with God.

Within such a relationship framework there are many broken vows and promises.

The psalmist David, more than once in his psalms, spoke of keeping his vows faithfully. For example, Psalm 61:8, So I will sing praise to Your name forever, That I may daily perform my vows.

Or in Psalm 49:14 another psalmist Asaph urges: Offer to God thanksgiving, And pay your vows to the Most High.

Generally speaking, in the ancient world it was quite common to make vows to God. To make a kind of contract with Him. To thank Him in this way for the blessings sent down.

It is noteworthy that God was very jealous of the issue of faithfulness in His promises. If men made a vow and failed to fulfill it, it was not a matter of God's offense. It was a matter of disrespecting His high authority.

That is why we find such serious reasoning in the book of Ecclesiastes in chapter 5:

When you make a vow to God, do not delay to pay it; For He has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you have vowed. Better not to vow than to vow and not pay. Do not let your mouth cause your flesh to sin, nor say before the messenger of God that it was an error. Why should God be angry at your excuse and destroy the work of your hands?

That's a very serious warning. It makes you ponder. It's as if the author is saying: no one requires any vows from you. You make them voluntarily. Because by doing so, you are entering into an even closer relationship with God. You are ready to enter into the territory of mutual commitment. God makes the commitment - you make the commitment. Now you are bonded by vows. The wise Ecclesiastes says - don't break your vows. Fulfill them. It is better for you not to promise than to promise and fail to fulfill.

In today's Christian world somehow this principle has become too blurry.

People can easily make promises to God. These promises are often made in moments of hard trials, some illness, maybe physical threat. In such circumstances a person can make serious commitment - for example, to serve God faithfully until death, or to stop doing some favorite sins, or maybe to stop doing something immoral. This kind of situations can happen. The problem is that when the danger passes or its level decreases, people often forget about their vows. They treat them like the promises of a politician who, after getting elected to a certain position, forgets everything he promised the voting public.

Through Solomon, the Lord speaks to us today: Think about it. This may be the cause of chaos in your life. You have broken your vows, forgotten your vows. You have shown unfaithfulness, humiliating God with your attitude and at the same time hoping for His faithfulness and manifestation of His accountability.

These are questions to deeply analyze your relationship with God. No one but ourselves, and certainly God, knows what we have promised Him. No one in this situation but our conscience will be our judge.

The good news in all these sensitive matters is that God is always willing to continue the relationship from the point of its suspension.

Listen to the words of David's prayer:

Hear my cry, O God; Attend to my prayer. From the end of the earth I will cry to You, When my heart is overwhelmed; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For You have been a shelter for me, A strong tower from the enemy. I will abide in Your tabernacle forever; I will trust in the shelter of Your wings. For You, O God, have heard my vows; You have given me the heritage of those who fear Your name.

A beautiful result of a sincere relationship. You have heard my vows and have given me the heritage.

Today we live in a such tough time that seems to be a right moment to turn to God with the same words as David: Hear my cry, O God, hear my prayer! Let our conscience tell us about all the vows we have made to God. And may the Most High lead us in the righteous way, that we may see His salvation.