Spilled Milk

God is not a man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it through?" ~ Numbers 23:19 (NLT)

 When I was a young boy, my mom used to serve milk with just about every meal. Her intentions were pure enough; milk has calcium, calcium builds strong bones, strong bones build strong boys. So, for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, my brother and I got a glass of milk to drink. The only issue was that from time-to-time I would get sick and tired of drinking milk. My other friends got Sunny D, or Caprisun, or some other sugary fruit-like drink. I remember one time I refused to drink my milk for lunch. My mom stated that I could not leave the table until I had drunk every last drop. I promised her I would. When she went down the hall to her bedroom, I snuck over to the sink and poured out the milk. I broke my promise – and my mom busted me, just to be clear. (Mom’s know everything!)

Unfortunately, it wasn’t the last promise that I’ve broken. I have made quite a few in my lifetime that I truly intended to keep. But circumstances sometimes got in the way, and I was unable to fulfill what I had said I would do. Sometimes I’ve been able to apologize and attempt to make things right. Other times, there was no opportunity.

Have you ever made promises you were unable to keep? I’m guessing the answer is yes. We’re all human, and despite our best intentions, we sometimes mess up our promises.

Often times, we apply this same brokenness to God’s promises. We wonder if He’ll actually follow through this time. However, there has never been a “this time.” God has never failed in His promises. As our verse today states, “Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it through?” In fact, the Bible is full of stories that have occurred over the past 6,000 years (or longer) when God has fulfilled every single one of His promises. God is perfect.

Today, marinate on the fact that when God says He will do something, it is a 100% certainty that He will. He’s not human. He doesn’t just have good intentions, He also has perfect follow-through.