Most of us at one time or another have made promises but never carried them through. Like the dad who promises to take his son fishing…someday, or the mom who promises “we’ll go shopping on Saturday”…then forgets and makes other plans. How many of us have made promises to God, or offered Him a deal, like: “Get me out of this mess and I’ll go to church every Sunday?” To most, once the problem has been solved, the promises are forgotten.
I read a story recently about a young man named Harold, who was about to graduate from High School. He was a really popular young man, but there was a problem…He was struggling to get all the credits he needed to graduate…and time was running out. Finally, the young man made a promise: If God would allow him to graduate with the rest of his class, he promised to read Psalm 119…knowing this to be the longest chapter in the Bible.
The only other person who knew about this promise was Harold’s younger brother, Don. Though Don was six years younger than Harold, he knew what his brother was going through and nobody wanted to see him graduate more than he did…And it happened. Harold worked hard and the family cheered along with the entire school when He walked across the stage and accepted his diploma.
Since the boys shared a room, Don knew when Harold arrived home later…about 3 o-clock in the morning. He watched him sit down on the edge of his bed and reach for his Bible. He turned the pages to Psalm 119 and sat there till he had read all 176 verses. Don went to sleep with a great sense of respect and pride…knowing the big brother he’d always looked up to would never let him down.
The boys in this story were Harold and Don Reid who, along with Phil, Lew and Jimmy, were known as The Statler Brothers. (Though Don and Harold were the only true brothers). Don told this story publicly for the first time recently after Harold passed away. What a great legacy Harold left behind! Besides all the great songs and many laughs, to know this about him brought comfort and joy to my own heart…as I hope it has to yours.
Yesterday, I read Psalm 119 for myself and realized what a message Harold received that night at 17 years old. He stayed true to his faith until the Lord called him home at the age of 80. Don shared another story too, about one of his last visits with Harold when he was suffering from kidney failure. They were discussing his illness when Harold said to him, “I’m 80 years old and I’ve lead such a blessed life, how can I complain about this?” May we all leave this world with such an attitude of gratitude…and always keep our promises as God has kept His to us. Amen