Daily Devotional for January 22, 2011

Hebrews 6:18
God cannot tell lies! And so his promises and vows are two things that can never be changed. We have run to God for safety. Now his promises should greatly encourage us to take hold of the hope that is right in front of us.

Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.

Imagine how you would feel if you were a young person waiting for your mom or dad to pick you up somewhere… say after school… and they never came for you. What if they told you, “I promise I will be at your ballgame, play, band concert…” or another event… and they didn’t make it. It’s bad enough that other people lie and don’t keep promises and vows, but when we think about our own mother or father, we expect things to be different. These are the people to whom we have hopefully run for safety, encouragement, and assurance that everything will be okay.

The truth of the matter is that, sadly, there are parents who break promises and vows to their children every day – about issues that are both great and small. There are parents who flatly lie to their children. For some, there is no safety, encouragement, or assurance to be found in the arms of a parent. As heartbreaking as this seems, it is reality for far too many.

The GOOD NEWS is that our HEAVENLY FATHER will never lie to us. He will never break a promise or a vow. What God has told us He will do for us is 100% the truth – guaranteed. His arms are open to receive us, and we can run to Him for safety any time. He is always available to encourage us and reassure us that everything will be okay, if we just stick close to Him.

God offers us hope when no one else can. If you are fortunate enough to have – or to have had – parents who were honest and dependable, thank God for such a blessing… and thank them for honoring their responsibility to God as a parent. If you have experienced disappointment from mere humans, remember that you can always count on God. He never changes or disappoints. I promise!

©2011 Debbie Robus