Keeping Our Promises to God

Our dedication to God is undoubtedly the most important promise we can make.  By taking this step, we demonstrate that we want to serve Jehovah forever.  While God's commandments are not burdensome, (not if you love him and want to serve him)  it may not always be easy to do his will, living as we do in this wicked system of things.  (2 Timothy 3:12; 1 John 5:3) But once we have 'put our  hand to the plow' and have become dedicated servants of Jehovah and disciples of his Son, Jesus Christ, we should never look back at the things of this world that we have left behind. -Luke 9:62. 

When we pray to Jehovah, we may feel moved to promise him that we will fight to overcome a weakness, cultivate a Christian quality or increase some aspect of our theocratic activity.  What will help us follow through on these promises? -Compare Ecclesiastes 5:2-5. 

Sincere promises stem from the heart as well as the mind. Therefore, let us back up our promises to Jehovah by opening our hearts to him in prayer, honestly expressing our fears, desires, and weaknesses. Praying about a promise will strengthen our resolve to keep it. We could look on our promise s to God as debts. When debts are large, payment has to be made gradually.  Likewise, many promises we make to Jehovah will take time to fulfill.  But by regularly giving him what we can, we show that we mean what we say, and he will bless us accordingly. 

We can demonstrate that we take our promises seriously by praying about them often, perhaps each day. This will show our heavenly Father that we are sincere.  It will also serve as a regular reminder. David left us a fine example in this regard. In song, he beseeched Jehovah:  "Do hear, O God,  my entreating cry. Do pay attention to my prayer. . .I will make melody to your name forever, that I may pay my vows day after day." -Psalm 61:1, 8. 

Next time: Keeping Our Promise s Builds Trust

From the Watchtower magazine, 1999