It was the last day of the week at graduate school, and my friend was about to drive to Texarkana, Texas to attend his father’s wedding. “It’s no big deal,” he said. “This will be his fifth marriage.”
The groom (whom we will call John Doe) had a sad history of matrimonial messes. Where did he even find a woman who volunteered to be Mrs. Doe number 5?
And his friends – well this would be the fifth time that they would show up with fondue pots and bath towels and make a dive for the ceremonial garter.
But one prankster friend came up with a novel gift idea. He had some bumper stickers pre-printed and then distributed them to each wedding goer. The sticker read, “Honk if you’ve been married to John Doe.”
The story is both funny and sad. There were five different occasions where John stood before his friends and family and gave his word – saying, “I John take you, Mary, Bridget, Sandy, Anna and/or Lisa to be my wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until we are parted by death; as God is my witness, I give you my promise.”
He promised! He gave his word, but he broke it at least 4 times at last count.
Is it important to be a word keeper? It is – extremely important! It’s a foundation upon which a functional society is established. It’s tough to do government, or business or church or even family if we cannot trust what people say.
This obligation reaches down from heaven because God certainly expects us to keep our word – in marriage for sure, but in every other aspect of life as well.
In Psalm 15 King David asks a penetrating question. He wrote in verse 1, “Who may worship in your sanctuary, Lord? Who may enter your presence on your holy hill?”
David was thinking of the tabernacle where the Lord was worshipped back in his day. The ornate tent complex was set up on a hill in the city of David, just beyond David’s palace walls. It was the place where the righteous would meet with God.
So, David wondered, “Lord, what kind of person is most welcome at your house?” Do you prefer a person who calls you, “Thee” when they pray?” Or maybe you are partial to prolific personal evangelists.
David, tutored by the Holy Spirit, offered several practical and truthful responses to the question. Included in the short list is this, “(they) keep their promises even when it hurts.” – Psalm 15:4
God throws out the welcome mat for those who do what they say. They are word keepers. If he promised to build the house; he will build the house. If she told the kids that she would take them to the park; they go the park. If he promised to stick with her till death; he sticks.
But that last phrase is disturbing – “even when it hurts.” This is to say that there are times we might make a promise, but circumstances change so that the promise is harder, even costly for us to keep.
The builder underbid the job, but he did it anyway for the amount that was agreed upon. Mom was invited out to coffee, but she passed because she promised the kids a trip to the park. She turned out to be less of a wife than he expected, but he kept his vows anyway.
They kept their promises even when it hurt.
What a wonderful world it would be if we could just rely on others to keep their word to us. And what a wonderful start it would be if it began with you and me.
A PRAYER: God Your Word calls us to be people of our word. Help us to do that!
This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com
May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.
Scripture passages are from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation ®, copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust.
Pickle Heaven Press-James R. Johnson 