Imagine the scene. A film hero, in desperate trouble, bargains with God. “Oh God, I haven’t prayed to you much before, but if you fix this for me, I promise I will….” It’s a scene we’ve probably all watched on films and TV before. It’s a prayer that has probably been prayed by countless people over the centuries. You may even have prayed a similar prayer yourself.

It’s pretty likely that the hero of the film will not to go on to complete their side of that bargain. People make all kinds of promises when they are under pressure, but once the crisis has passed, it is all too easy to forget what was said in the heat of the moment.

God sees things differently. God’s words are eternal. If he says something, then it is true. If he makes a promise, then he keeps it. It is one of the essential characteristics of the Lord, and he demands the same level of integrity from those who follow him. Our honesty, our integrity and our kept promises are part of our witness of the Lord in the world.

So, if we make promises to God, or to one another, the Lord expects us to keep them. But Jesus warned us against making promises and vows: “All you need to say is simply ‘yes’ or ‘no’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one. (Matthew 5:37). If we are trustworthy and reliable, then we don’t need to make rash promises, and if we don’t make promises, then we won’t break them if we forget later, or find we can’t keep our side of the bargain.

We also don’t need to make bargains to get God (or other people) to do what we want as this is a form of manipulation and God won’t be manipulated. We can simply ask. And if we are asked by somebody else, we can simply answer yes or no. The important thing is that we keep our word as God always keeps his.

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NEWBOLD COMMUNITY CHURCH