I have opened my mouth unto the Lord, and I cannot go back. – Judges 11:35
Before I became a Christian, I made a promise to God that if he would heal my mother, I would give my life to Him. I was in my late teens and my mother lay in bed, extremely sick. She had a terrible, large swelling on the side of her face and a very high fever for many days, and she began to lose all of the hair on her head. She was so ill that I began to worry that she would die. I cannot remember ever asking God for anything until that time, but one day I prayed, “God, if You will heal my mother and make her well, I will serve You.” God answered that prayer and my mother recovered.
Although I did not immediately keep my end of the deal, God held me to the promise I had made to Him. After a time, He put such conviction on my soul that I knelt before Him one Sunday morning, and asked for forgiveness. He saved and sanctified me that day.
Many years after that time, I was married for some time and wanted a child. One day I made another promise to God. This time I prayed, “God, if You will give me a child, I will teach that child about You.” Shortly thereafter God answered my prayer, and in time I gave birth to a baby boy. What a thrill it was for me to be a mother! I kept my promise to God and raised my son “in the nurture and admonition of the Lord,” and today I am happy to say that he serves the Lord and is active in church work.
Many people make promises to God, especially if they want an answer to prayer. However, if we choose to promise God something, we must be sure to uphold our end of the deal in order to receive His blessing in our lives. How glad I am that I kept the promises I made to God! He always hears and answers our prayers when we are honest before Him. All we need to do is make our requests known to Him through “prayer and supplication with thanksgiving” (Philippians 4:6).