📘 Volume 3 – The Forgotten Oath

By Pastor Terry

“When you make a vow to God, do not delay to pay it, for He has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you have vowed.” – Ecclesiastes 5:4 (NKJV)

Raymond stood in the ICU, gripping his wife’s cold hand and promising God anything. “Lord, if you bring her through this, I’ll return to church. I’ll forgive my brother. I’ll even preach again if you want me to.”

Tears streamed. Nurses moved silently. Machines beeped.

God heard him.

She pulled through.

Three months later, Raymond was back on the golf course, not in the pew. The Bible he’d dusted off sat unopened again. And the bitterness he’d vowed to let go was still living rent-free in his soul.

One night, lying in bed, he heard it—not a voice, but a weight—the kind that only comes when God taps on your spirit and asks, “Son… did you forget?”

Reflection: Sometimes, we make desperate promises that we forget in comfort.

God doesn’t demand perfection—but He does expect integrity. If you vow in the dark, honor it in the light. He remembers even when we don’t.

Ecclesiastes warns that breaking your word to God isn’t just careless—it’s foolish. Not because God needs your vow, but because your vow shapes your walk.

Have you made a promise to God in a moment of crisis? Maybe it’s time to revisit it, repent, and follow through in faith if needed.