Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. (Josh 1:9)

Lilly has been my furry, faithful companion for over eight years now. She trusts me completely – to feed her, to water her, to walk her, to play with her. I see it in her eyes when she rolls over to ask for a belly rub and when she runs to greet me as I walk in the door, dancing excitedly on her hind legs as she tries to lick my fingers. She never hesitates to bark for a treat or a trip outside because she knows that her wish will be granted. When we sit in my recliner, she will burrow her head under my hand so that I will pet her and give her the attention she deserves.

Whether you have children or pets or both, you know what it is like to have someone depend on you. God wants us, his children, to depend on him the same way that Lilly depends on me. When I have a bad day, I can vent to him. I can express my frustration and my questions – he already knows anyway. When things go well, and even if they don’t, I can praise him.

God is there when I call on him, and he provides for my every need. When I look back over my life, I see his hand guiding me and his protection over me. Even when I went my own way – maybe especially when I went my own way – he was still there, waiting for me to place him back in the top spot of my life. I see the fulfillment of promises made to me in his word – promises to never leave me (Dt 31:6, 8; Josh 1:6, 9; 1 Chr 28:20; Ps 37:28; Ps 94:14; Is 41:17; Is 42:16; Heb 13:5).

I’m human, and like all of us, I have broken promises that I’ve made. Whether the break was intentional or not, broken promises lead to broken trust. We know that we can trust God not to break his promises to us because of his unchanging nature, his character, and his infinite wisdom, and because “God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?” (Num 23:19)

What he promises, he will fulfill. And this is a promise we can count on.

Dear Jesus, thank you for fulfilling your promises to us. Help us to rely on you and trust you completely. Amen.