Promises. How many promises do you make? How many do you keep?
Without doubt or hesitation, I know that God keeps His
Promises. Mercy and love, impartial judgment and grace, integrity and
unchanging character, compassion to the weak crushed by life,
forgiveness and salvation...endless list.
In
many blog posts, one will express pain and suffering or depression over
losses, or heartbreak. In the comment section, so many sincere
followers give comfort and sympathy. And then, there is "I'll be
praying for you" somewhere in the comments, or "Prayers and blessings".
But,
I wonder are these phrases are actually followed? Once the words are
written and the cursor goes to publish, will these word be acted upon?
This is not a criticism, for I write these words myself, but simply a question.
Robert Frost wrote in "Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening" this last quatrain,
But I have promises to keep.
Any type of promise? Yes, it would seem so. A promise to bring a
salad to a potluck is an easy promise--CostCo provides. A promise to
meet at 2:00 can vary from 1:55 to 2:05 (we are obsessive about this.)
is still an easy promise to keep for most people. My in-laws are lax on this.
But
to say "I'll be praying for you" is vague. Perhaps this sentence
should be followed by "I promise". This is one promise that requires
commitment and sincerity. It needs to be kept.
I understand what you mean, don't say it if you are not going to do it. I don't think I have ever said the words I promise, or even, you can trust me, I will do this. or I give you my word. or even I swear, all are almost the same as I promise. I can say that when I say I will pray for you, I do it before I write those words and then I always pray at least once more. I usually pray for people when I am walking the dog. not all in one walk.
ReplyDeleteand Yes Susan I do pray for you and I do mean it when I say..
I know that you do, dear friend. I do much the same.
DeleteThat's why I'll never say I'm praying for anyone. I don't. I'll send positive thoughts, as that is what I do.
ReplyDeleteYour thoughts are surely appreciated.
DeleteFriend, I am praying for you, and I mean it. Daily I stop and pray for my online friends. It’s important.
ReplyDeleteThank you. I appreciate that more than I can say.
DeleteI never say I will pray for you, as I am not a praying type and I don't say I promise if I know I may not be able to keep that promise, only saying it if I know 100% that I can keep what I am promising.
ReplyDeleteYou are so right.
DeleteI've learned to not take promises made to me too seriously. If they are kept, I'm pleasantly surprised. I try to keep my promises but I can't guarantee them 100% and that is something I still need to work on. Alana ramblinwitham.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteYup. I understand that.
DeleteI couldn't agree more, Susan. When someone asks for our prayers, we should honor them and God with that promise. Blessings!
ReplyDeleteI have appreciated prayer for my health issues recently. Many thanks.
DeleteThat's not a phrase I normally used, but now that you mention it is used a lot, and thrown around a lot, including by politicians.
ReplyDeleteOh yes.
Delete