Day 13 This Is Our Covenant God
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have absolutely no unmet needs? To never worry about if you were loved and cherished, if someone had your back, if your deepest needs would be met? Have you every wondered what it would be like to go through your day and lay your head on your pillow at night and not worry about anything at all? Seriously, have you ever had a day like that? What would it take?
Most folks believe it would just take money. If we just had more than enough money ALL our worries and cares would be gone. However, one casual look at lottery winners and the uber-rich like the Kardashians tells us that money doesn’t solve problems, it only creates them.
Money isn’t the answer…it must be love. If we were truly and deeply loved we would have everything we need and be completely and totally taken care of. Our lover would make sure we were known as someone special. Our lover would always have our back, always be there to protect and defend. Whatever our heart desired…our lover would be sure we had it. Our lover would also deeply love the things, activities and people we loved and take care of them…We just need to be loved.
In the same way money can’t meet all our needs, neither can love. Can love cure cancer, bring a loved one back from the dead, deliver an addicted child from drugs? Can love replace the lost limb of the soldier from Afghanistan or be at our side at every waking and sleeping moment? Certainly human love cannot; this is why we need our Covenant partner, El Elyon, the Creator.
In the past few days we have examined the very base of human relationships; covenants with our mother and our father. We’ve seen how God can fill the empty spots our earthly parents were unable to fill.
El Shaddai – the all-sufficient one, the nursing mother whose deep love gives us the sense that we are delighted in.
Abba Father – “Papa, or Daddy” the place of safety in the arms of our heavenly father.
This Is Our Covenant God
Today we will look at El Elyon, the Creator and see how much we really have in this covenant relationship with God.
Please remember three things about Covenant:
- Some Covenants are transitional-made to be ended.
- Covenant with God and with our Spouse are not to be ended or broken.
- Covenant is about Exchange.
Imperfect Covenants; Imperfect Transitions
Our first covenant relationship begins with our mother, and then transitions to our father. God put it in the hands of the father to bring the child into covenant with God and eventually transfer the child to a covenant relationship with a spouse…. and the cycle begins again.
Many people do not experience this “perfect” covenant transition because their parental covenants were broken or their parents did not know God so they were not taught and led to a covenant relationship with God.
This is so awesome…your upbringing doesn’t matter; God’s got you covered there too….
I remember in the 1970s when church philosophy began to merge with psychology- pastors were teaching their congregations that if Fathers didn’t do their jobs right they would ruin their children’s ability to trust God. While a broken parental covenant can bring confusion and pain to a child’s life…the child’s future does not rest on the parent’s ability or inability to function in God’s perfect plan. The Bible is full of Godly leaders whose parents were messed up or just plain evil.
Take King Josiah for example. His epitaph is found in 2 Kings 23:25
“Neither before nor after Josiah was there a king like him who turned to The Lord as he did-with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his strength.”
No other king…not even David, followed God as Josiah did. So you would think he had a great upbringing, right? Listen to what the Bible says about Josiah’s forefathers…they were just plain evil!
Josiah’s grandpa, Manasseh’s epitaph is found in 1 Kings 20:11, 16
“Manasseh king of Judah has committed these detestable sins (he did more evil than the evil nations around Judah). He has led Judah into sin with idols. V16 Moreover, Manasseh has shed so much innocent blood that he filled Jerusalem from end to end-besides the sin that he had caused Judah to commit, so that they did evil in the eyes of The Lord.”
Josiah’s dad wasn’t any better; 1 Kings 22:20, 22
“Amon (Manassehs’ son/Josiahs’ dad) did evil in the eyes of The Lord has his father had done. V22 He forsook The Lord and did not walk in the way of The Lord”.
Bad Blood is Reversed by Covenant
Interesting…here was a young man who became king at 8 years of age, Josiah, who was from a very evil family and yet was remembered as the most Godly king of Judah, ever, even more than King David, the man after God’s own heart. So what happened in Josiah’s life to make this change?
In 2 Kings 22-23 we read that Josiah discovered the “Book of the Law”…The Covenant! It had been buried, lost in the temple. The Priest, Hilkiah (Jeremiah the prophet’s father) found The Book of The Law and sent it to the king. The Book of The Law was supposed to be next to the King’s throne…and the kings were to read it every day. But because of evil leadership and idolatry this practice had been lost.
Josiah read The Covenant and when he heard it’s words he was devastated and tore his clothes and wept. 1 Kings 22:11-20
V19″because your heart was responsive and you humbled yourself before the Lord when you heard…because you tore your robes and wept in my presence, I have heard you, declares The Lord.”
Josiah’s response to reading The Covenant was to call the leaders and the entire country together to hear The Covenant read and then renew their covenant with God in public. 1 Kings 23:3
“The king (Josiah) stood by the (temple) pillar and renewed the covenant in the presence of The Lord.
- To follow The Lord
- To keep His commands, regulations and decrees with all his heart and soul
Then all the people pledged themselves to The Covenant.
How did this amazing renewal of a broken covenant happen? Josiah READ The Covenant! We have the same opportunity…we have the exact same Covenant that King Josiah read thousands of years ago – the Bible. All we have to do is read the Bible, believe what we read and act on it.
We Have A Helper
We have it even better than Josiah; we have a helper, a teacher, and a comforter who will “lead us into all truth”…The Holy Spirit. Just like “Hilkiah” the high priest in Josiah’s day “found” the Covenant, the Holy Spirit today helps anyone who is hungry to “find” God’s covenant and then teaches us what that covenant means. Jesus promised the Holy Spirit would come and help us in John 14:16-17
16 “And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.”
If you have a hard time reading The Bible and understanding it, ask The Holy Spirit to be your teacher. All you have to do is ask. I often sit down with my Bible and say “Father I want to hear from you, please show me where to read and teach me.” You know what…he does! All I have to do is take the time to read, to ask and to listen.
Let me ask you this…have you read the Covenant?
- Have you stood, as Josiah, before your family, friends, and culture and publicly said, “I will follow The Lord and his decrees with all my heart, soul, mind and strength”?
- Have you decided to exchange your identity as “self made person” to “beloved of God in Christ?”
- Have you chosen to exchange authority over your life, to “be your own person and boss” and give authority over your life to Jesus Christ?
- Have you chosen to exchange your ability to provide for yourself and protect yourself with the Creator of the Universe and receive all his resources?
You can do this…regardless of how many broken covenants you have experienced. Regardless of how evil your parents, grandparents, spouse, children or even you yourself have been. It just takes a decision to make that exchange.
- You can drink the Cup of Acceptance. Jesus already drank it and decided you are worth it.
- You can wear the veil that says “I’m Unavailable”. “Jesus Christ is my covenant partner”.
- You can take that wedding bath and be cleansed of your old ways and come up a new person…no longer in covenant with yourself but now a covenant partner with Jesus Christ.
It is up to us to read The Covenant and accept the terms. Jesus said it in Matthew 22:36-39
36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” 37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
Romans 10:9-10 tells us
9 “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.”
Remember I asked in the beginning paragraph today…
” Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have absolutely no unmet needs? To never worry about if you were loved and cherished, if someone had your back, if your deepest needs would be met?
Have you every wondered what it would be like to go through your day and lay your head on your pillow at night and not worry about anything at all? Seriously, have you ever had a day like that? What would it take?”
Guess What…This Really IS Possible!
The more we understand, desire and enter into that covenant exchange, the more we can relax and trust God as our Covenant Partner. Ephesians 3:20 put it like this:
“Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine, according to His power that is work within us.”
What Kind of Power Is Available To Us?
The Creative Power of God – El Elyon. God, the Creator spoke the entire UNIVERSE and eternity into being…doesn’t leave much untouched does it? This is your Covenant partner! He is able to do immeasurably more by his Creative Power! Do you have a need? Ask your Creator to Speak To The Need. He specializes in making order out of chaos, light into darkness, life out of dust. Genesis 1
Heavenly Father, as my Covenant Partner I ask you to bring order to the chaos of this situation. Send your Holy Spirit to brood over the dark areas of my life and call forth light. I leave it in your hands. In Jesus Name.
Isaiah 50:10
“Who among you fears the Lord and obeys the word of his servant? Let him who walks in the dark, who has no light, trust in the name of The Lord and rely on his God.”
The Redemptive Power of God – Jesus Christ. Redeem means to “buy back”. Even if you were sold into sin by your family or you gave yourself to other covenants of the worst kind. Even if you broke the covenant of the mother or father with your own children. Even if you broke covenant with your spouse. Even if you walked away from your covenant with God for a time. It doesn’t matter because your covenant was redeemed, bought back, at the Cross. Isaiah 53: 4-12 speaks of Jesus Christ, who paid “the price of the bride” so you and I could be in Covenant with Him.
Isaiah 53:4-12 tells us “the price of the bride” Jesus paid for us
v4 “Surely he took up our pain … 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions (our rebellion), he was crushed for our iniquities (injustice and unfairness); the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.
6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.
8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away. Yet who of his generation protested? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression (rebellion) of my people he was punished.
9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.
10 Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand.
11 After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.”
And finally in Covenant with Jesus Christ we have….
The Resurrection Power – Bringing Dead Things Back to Life
Just as God raised Jesus Christ from the dead he raises us up out of the death of our broken covenant.
Even when we are in covenant with ourselves, dead and hopeless, striving to stay ahead, God gives us hope and brings His Covenant love to us, resurrecting that child like faith that we can trust, we can be taken care of, there is someone we can exchange our brokenness with and become wholly alive.
Yes, this is for you, this Covenant relationship that gives you the security you are fully loved. This Covenant relationship that provides so fully you and I can lay down at night without a worry, knowing our Covenant partner is there taking care of every detail.
Jesus said in John 11:25-27
25 “Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; 26 and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” 27 “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”
And even more comforting,
Our family is also a part of this Covenant relationship. A Covenant so all-inclusive we can ask God to bring our children, our parents, our spouse, our siblings and their generations to His Table, to personally experience His peace and provision and love.
Acts 16:31
“Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, along with everyone in your household.”
Does that mean your family gets carte-blanc, a free ticket to heaven on your shirttails? No, of course not, but what it does mean is that like Mephiboseth, Jonathan’s son in our story of David and Jonathan, your children and their children are part of your covenant relationship with Christ. Ask your covenant partner to bring them to your table, you choose to live in covenant with God as an example and watch Him bring them in.
I don’t know about you but if I will just remember the wonderful things I have In Covenant with God through Jesus Christ I can lay my head down in complete rest, knowing my Covenant partner is truly my all-in-all.
Jesus tell us how we can live in John 14:27
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. It is not as the world gives that I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, and do not let it be afraid.”
This is our God, our Covenant partner. I’ll close today with this song that says it all…
This Is Our God, by Chris Tomlin
About the Author: Celeste Davis, is a passionate follower of Jesus Christ with a heart to walk fully in Covenant with Him. As Founder of The Wellness Workshop, Celeste’s heart is to teach women and impact their families to “Be Nourished” as opposed to dieting or trying different life strategies. We nourish our bodies with God-Made Food, our Souls with God-Made Relationships and our Spirits with the Word of God and Prayer. More Info about Celeste
