READ: 2 CORINTHIANS 1:18-22; GALATIANS 6:2-5; HEBREWS 10:19-25

On the way home from a road trip, I peered out the window of our minivan and noticed a slogan that said, “Helping the World Keep Promises.” This bold statement emblazoned on the side of a truck advertised the company’s reliability.* I assumed they wanted customers to know they would deliver their cargo on time, every time.

We DO need help keeping our promises, I mused. Maybe we need reminders, to-do lists, or a date circled and highlighted on the calendar. Maybe we need to have accountability, a friend or mentor who will check in with us to be sure we’re following through on our commitments and goals. Keeping promises can present challenges for us, even when we long to keep our word and fulfill what we’ve committed to do.

But something else came to mind. We may need assistance in keeping our promises, but God never does. Righteous and holy, God will never fail to keep His word. He will always remain faithful to His character. Once we’ve put our trust in Jesus, we can know that His promises are for us, too. We can pour out our hearts to the Lord. He listens to our cries, He hears the stories of our brokenness, and He gives us rest in Himself. We can have confidence that He delivers on His promises on time, every time. • Allison Wilson Lee

• When do you need help keeping your promises? God knows that we all need support to follow through on our commitments, and He invites us to lean on Him and trusted people in our lives to help us. But sometimes, we bite off more than we can chew, and we need to apologize and tell others we won’t be able to do what we said. God wants to help us in these times too. Who are trusted people in your life who can help you set good boundaries around your commitments?

• When is it hard for you to trust that God will keep His promises? We all experience this from time to time, and it can be helpful to remember examples of His faithfulness…Jesus promised to rise from the dead, and He did! Jesus also promised the Holy Spirit would come after He ascended, and that’s exactly what happened. Now, we’re waiting for Jesus to fulfill another huge promise: to return and make all things new, free from sin and death, so that everyone who trusts in Him can live with Him forever. Then, there will be no more broken promises, and all will be well.

*Old Dominion Freight Line

Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. Hebrews 10:23 (NLT)