I shall come into Your house with burnt offerings; I shall pay You my vows, Which my lips uttered and my mouth spoke when I was in distress.
Psalm 66:13-14 (NASB)
At the end of the year, especially on the last day, we all tend to express our gratitude to God for all that He has done for us in the past year. Once we are done thanking God, we present to Him our new plans and what we would like to see happen in the new year. There is nothing wrong with thanking God and telling Him our plans right away. That is exactly what He wants us to do. The problem is when we promise Him that we will do something if He answers our requests and we do nothing.
Thanking God for what He has done is a good thing, it is a habit that we all have to thank people when they help us in any way. But have we kept our promise when we told God that if He does something special for us, we will do something in return to show our gratitude? God wants us to keep our vows to Him, not because He is demanding, but because He wants us to be upright and just in our words.
While this last day of the year is an opportunity to reflect on all that God has done for you during the year, it is also an opportunity to remember the vows you have made to Him to keep. If you have promised Him that you will bring Him a special offering if He grants you robust health or gives you the right job for you, then your thanks will not be enough if He has done this for you. You must keep your promise. This is also part of your gratitude to God. Remember that you will certainly have other plans to present to Him for 2025.
May the grace and peace of God be with you all.
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