When my child disappeared, it brought me back to a vow I made to God many years ago. A solemn vow to give my daughter to Him before she was even born. I vowed she would know Him, know the truth and learn to follow Jesus.
Life brought many distractions causing me to drift from promises I made to God. I was focused on many things, and the enemy was blinding me to the circumstances surrounding my daughter. I did not realize this until she was gone.
The morning she went missing, I knew in my heart someone had taken her. I stopped and prayed for God’s protection over her and peace for her through His promises. As I pleaded with Him, I was immediately reminded of my vow.
My daughter was missing for a week. This brought indescribable feelings of confusion, anger, and the peace of God all wrapped up in my grief. I was not really taking my vows to Him seriously. I was not developing her faith the way that I should, as her mother. God showed me that. I was not following His way, I was following my way. I prayed every day, all day, knowing that she belonged to God no matter what the outcome was.
By the end of that very long week, I was screaming “Jesus please bring her home” at the top of my lungs. This was the first time I ever yelled at Him directly out loud! The next day in the early morning my daughter called me. She was crying and scared, but safe. Hallelujah! She had been drugged, put in a cab, and sent back to the beach in the middle of the night. God kept her safe overnight in the woods several miles from home. When the drugs wore off, she knew where she was and walked to the gas station to call me at sunrise. I was so thankful to God for His mercy on us. He gave me a loving reminder to honor my words and prayers to Him.
“If a man vow a vow unto the Lord, or swear an oath to bind his soul with a bond; he shall not break his word, he shall do according to all that proceedeth out of his mouth.” Numbers 30:2
Reading this verse reminded me that I must follow through on my vows to God. He has blessed this experience in my life and hers. It changed us both for the better. She turned back to God, was baptized two years later and continues to praise Him for the lessons He teaches. He gave both of us a much-needed reminder of His mercy in our not-so-perfect walk with Him. He reminded me to take my commitments to Him seriously. My job was to lead her back to Him and to trust Him to guide and help, and He reminded us he will never leave us, no matter what happens. Praise God!
Pray with me:
Thank you Jesus for never leaving us. Thank You for Your never-ending mercy in our lives each day. Our prayers to you never go unanswered, and we know that we are never alone. Please help us to remember the vows and promises we make to You. Strengthen us in all things through the good and bad times. Help us to remember You first and to take our commitments that we make to You seriously. In Jesus’ Holy name, amen.
