A small story in 20 chapters
A cosy daily moment with Scripture, reflection, and a challenge to embed the word in your day.
Chapter 12
Finished ✦ on 31 January 2026
Scripture
Deuteronomy 7:8-9 [NRSVUE]
"8 It was because the Lord loved you and kept the oath that he swore to your ancestors, that the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. 9 Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who maintains covenant loyalty with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations,"
Reflection
There is probably no one better at keeping promises than God, and this passage makes that so wonderfully clear. God does not just say that He will be faithful; He ties His promise to love, covenant, and the generations yet to come. A person can struggle to keep a promise for only ten minutes, but God speaks in terms of thousands of generations. It makes me reflect on how foundational promise-keeping is to any relationship. Trust is built when someone follows through, and it’s incredibly hard to fully trust someone who repeatedly breaks their word. When promises fail often enough, we naturally begin to hold back, wondering whether we want to trust again or how much forgiveness it will take to keep doing so. What is so striking and amazing about God is how open He remains in inviting us into a relationship, even knowing our tendency to fail. He keeps His promises faithfully, and asks in return that we love Him and walk in His ways. And when we fall short, it isn’t the end of the story; repentance is the way back into the promise. Jesus echoed this when He taught us to let our “yes” be yes and our “no” be no. Teaching us that promises do not require grand gestures or dramatic vows, just simple faithfulness. Promise, at its core, isn’t about how impressive our words sound, but whether we follow through. How lucky are we that God does, every time!
Today’s quest
Make one small promise, to yourself or to someone else, and intentionally follow through on it.
Your reflection
“It is sooo true that trust is wonderfully built when someone keeps their word! It’s one of the things I appreciate so much about my wonderful boyfriend ❤️ And also one of the things I greatly appreciate (and sadly sometimes forget!!!) about God! We often say in hard times “Remember how the Lord helped you through a similar situation before - He can do it again!” And hearing the testimony of others can be powerful for the same reason! I’m currently reading through Exodus and again, so much of what God did for the Israelites was for them & Pharoah to know He is God and for them to remember these acts to pass on to future generations. There is power in staying in remembrance of all the promises God has fulfilled - even communion provides us an opportunity to remember the sacrifice of our Christ. I pray to be more consciously aware of this and to find more ways in my daily life to remember & reflect on the ways God has kept his promises! I so believe this is one way to build faith 🙌🏾! ”