Can We Trust Promises When So Many Are Broken?

How good are you at keeping promises? Some people embrace the motto, ‘My word is my bond.’ We know if they make a promise, they’ll keep it no matter what. Others take a more tentative approach, promising to do something with fingers figuratively crossed behind their backs, thinking, ‘I’ll do it – unless a better option comes along.’

 

For some of us, the thought of promise-making and promise-keeping brings back sad or distressing memories of promises that were made to us and then broken: Wedding vows cast aside. An expected job promotion that never came. A close friend reneging on an important commitment. A parent’s failure to show up for an important school program or ball game.

 

Politicians make promises all the time that they conveniently forget once election day has passed, but we’re used to that. It’s loved ones and people close to us making promises, then not following through, that hurts the most.

 

Do you remember the old hit tune by Dionne Warwick, “Promises, Promises”? Written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David, it had a lilting melody but offered a rather cynical view of promises. Here are some of the lyrics:

“Promises, promises

I’m all through with promises…

Oh, promises, promises

This is where those promises end…

Oh, promises, their kind of promises, can just destroy a life…

Take all the joy from life….”

 

Since song lyrics often are drawn from personal experience, I wonder what prompted Bacharach and David to put those words to music? No matter, they do express the feelings many of us have – or have once held – regarding promises. When promises are broken, trust also becomes shattered. And one’s integrity suffers a serious blow.

 

This is why the promises we find in the Bible are so important. And there are many of them, from Genesis all the way through Revelation. When we hear God being described in terms like loving, gracious, merciful, unchanging and faithful, the promises in the Scriptures put those divine qualities to the test.

 

If someone were to ask, “What are the promises of God?” we could respond, “Where do we start?” Take for example the Old Testament prophetic book of Isaiah. Singling out just three out of many, we find:

God’s promise of forgiveness and redemption: “’Come now, let us reason together,’ says the Lord. ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool’” (Isaiah 1:18).

God’s promise of strength when needed: “He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak…those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles, they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint” (Isaiah 40:29-31).

God’s promise of His presence and power. “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10).

 

Of course, our trust in someone’s promises grows over time, as they follow through on their commitments and prove their trustworthiness. In the same way, our trust in God’s promises flourishes through our daily experiences with Him. It can’t be learned by reading books, devotionals or columns, or by listening to sermons. 

 

In my case, as I’ve encountered and pondered the Lord’s promises in reading His Word, I’ve also seen His faithfulness in fulfilling them one after another. I could offer many examples, but one stands out in particular.

 

It was in 2006, right after I had been diagnosed as having an aortic aneurysm, along with several arterial blockages. Open-heart surgery was necessary. Since my condition wasn’t an emergency, the procedure was scheduled for two weeks later. That’s a lot of time to ponder undergoing one of the most serious surgeries you can have.

 

After the initial shock of what I had to face began to fade, I did what I’ve learned to do in times of crisis: I opened my Bible and turned to the Psalms, which I’ve always found comforting and reassuring. I read several psalms the first day, put a bookmark where I had been reading, and set the Bible aside.

 

The next morning, still feeling overwhelmed at the thought of going through surgery that would last at least several hours, I again picked up my Bible and turned to where I had stopped the previous day. It was Psalm 41, and the third verse read, “The Lord will sustain him on his sickbed and restore him from his bed of illness.” 

 

I can’t describe the emotions that filled me at that moment, but it was if the words had been printed in neon lights. Like God saying, “This promise is for you.” 

 

Philippians 4:7 talks about “the peace that surpasses all understanding,” and that’s what I experienced that day. The anxiety I had been feeling disappeared. It was one of many “Don’t worry, I’ve got this” moments I’ve had in my walk with the Lord.

 

Knowing God has never failed in keeping the many promises He’s made, that sense of peace prevailed up to and through the day of my surgery. The recovery wasn’t easy, but God was with me every day, true to His word.

 

I’m not a ‘name it and claim it’ guy. I know God doesn’t promise physical healing to everyone in every situation. When we encounter adversity in any of its countless forms, we don’t have a promise from God that the outcome will be exactly what we want. But we do have the promise from Him that, “Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5).

 

In a world where broken promises are more the rule than the exception, what a joy and privilege it is to worship a God who never fails to keep His promises.

Maintaining Integrity When Conditions Change

When we hear about integrity – especially the lack of it – what comes to mind? Many of us would think first of politicians. On both sides of the aisle. Neither side has cornered the market on this dismal deficiency. We also hear of scandals in the business world, so we’d have to add top executives to the list. Sadly, some members of the law enforcement profession get failing grades when it comes to integrity. This list could go on, but clearly, integrity should appear prominently on the endangered species list.

The question is, what is integrity? Consulting the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, I found several definitions: 1) “Firm adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values.” 2) “An unimpaired condition.” 3) “The quality or state of being complete or undivided.”

Does integrity matter if
our fingers are crossed?

I have no quarrel with any of those definitions, and have also appreciated this very practical perspective on integrity: “Who you are – and what you do – when no one is looking.” Recently, however, I heard a definition that hits home when we consider the depths to which everyday integrity has fallen. As speaker and writer Dr. David Jeremiah defines it, “Integrity is keeping a commitment after the circumstances in which the commitment was made have changed.”

Getting back to politicians, it seems we see this in action every day. They make bold campaign promises, yet once in office renege on their commitments. Either they never intended to keep those promises, or circumstances have changed so they feel free to disavow or compromise on their commitments.

In the work world, we see this as well: Commitments are made to secure a sale or win a contract, or assurances for professional advancement are given, yet later those commitments are forgotten – after circumstances have changed.

But integrity isn’t a matter that applies only to people responsible for major decisions. Our own integrity hangs in the balance every day.

A simple example is what happens on the wedding day. A man and woman vow their love and eternal devotion to each other – before God, attendees at the wedding, and everyone who views their beautiful video capturing the special moment. And yet, statistically half of all marriages end in divorce, even among professed followers of Christ. Why? One big reason is simply that circumstances have changed. “Yes, we said, ‘for better or for worse, in sickness and in health, richer or poorer,’ but we didn’t know it would get this worse!”

A parent promises to take Johnny or Joanie on a much-anticipated outing, but when the day finally arrives, they cancel because a pressing matter has come up. Then they further damage their integrity in the child’s mind by making another commitment they probably won’t keep.

Someone asks us for help over the weekend and we promise to do so. Or someone asks us to meet them for lunch and we agree, setting the time and place. When asked, we had nothing conflicting. Then a better, more appealing opportunity comes about and we beg off the commitment with an excuse – we’re not feeling well, we forgot we had made a prior commitment, or some other rationalization.

We’re approached to give financial support, perhaps to a missionary or an important church project, and make a promise to give. Later, however, circumstances change so we either cancel the commitment or drastically reduce it.

We see a powerful example of the latter in the book of Acts, when a couple named Ananias and Sapphira committed to sell property they had and give all the proceeds to support followers of Christ in their city. “With his wife’s full knowledge, [Ananias] kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles’ feet” (Acts 5:1-2).

The passage doesn’t explain why they did that. Maybe the property sold for more than they anticipated. Ananias and Sapphira reasoned they would still give what they had promised and keep the surplus for themselves. No one would be the wiser, right? The problem was, God knew. His response was drastic and dramatic. He took their lives, not because they hadn’t given the property’s full value, but because they had lied about giving the full amount.

Even in the early days of the Church, the Lord was underscoring the high importance of integrity. As Proverbs 11:3 declares, “The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity.”

God demands that we be truthful and wholehearted in our commitments. Jesus said, as one translation expresses Matthew 5:37, “But let your word 'yes be 'yes,' and your 'no be 'no.' Anything more than this is from the evil one.” In other words, He’s saying, “If you’re not willing to keep a commitment, don’t make it in the first place. But if you make a vow or a promise, I expect you to fulfill it – even if the conditions in which you made it have changed.”

As we’re tempted to condemn politicians, business leaders, entertainers and others for their lack of integrity, maybe we need to take an honest look in the mirror. We can’t control the integrity of their actions, but we are responsible for our own.