Covenant Relationships

We hear about it and have no clue! What is a covenant relationship? I asked my pastor that question one day. The associate pastor participated in the discussion, also.

"If I have never experienced a covenant relationship, how am I supposed to know what my responsibility in a covenant relationship with God is supposed to look like?", I asked.

My pastor responded with, "your responsibility is to watch, pray and obey".

"Oh, just shut up!", I responded. "That is a corndog answer that doesn't mean anything to me and you know it"!

The associate pastor laughed and said, "Errol, your responsibility is to show that you trust God". Before I could jump down his throat, he continued with, "Let me give you an example. God led Moses and the Israelites out of Egypt down to the Red Sea. Pharoah's army rode down upon the Israelites to destroy them, but God blocked the army of Pharoah with a pillar of fire, WHILE Moses led the people across the Red Sea. God proved that He was trustworthy there. Right?"

"Well, yeah", I said.

(Sidebar here: God is able to multitask)

"OK", he continued. "So, the people are getting ready to go into the Promised Land. The Jordan stands between them and Canaan. Water is raging. Joshua commands the Levites to take the Ark of the Covenant and step into the river. God did not stop the flow of the Jordan, until the people showed they trusted God to stop the flow of the river, just as He showed he could part the Red Sea".

And there it was.

God shows me he is faithful and them I have to show Him that I believe He will do it for me, by stepping out on that faith, KNOWING, not hoping, that He will show up when I need Him.

Not when I want Him, but when I NEED Him.

The Israelites had many opportunities, before then, to keep their part of the covenant. They had a chance to go into the Promised Land 40 years earlier, but let 10 of the 12 spies talk them out of what God had already promised them. They were toast when Moses agreed to sending the spies. God had already promised to give them the land.

So, who has talked you out of what God has already shown you He is able to do? And if God has already shown you He is faithful, that is He is able, why would you question Him? How do you serve a god that you have no faith in? Help me here, He can save me for Eternity, but He can't bless me or heal me or deliver me? Why serve a god like that?

Don't feel bad. I didn't have an answer, either.

The bottom line is I struggle to make the correct decisions, in the midst of those opportunities He provides me that help my faith and trust in Him to grow. The reason has to be I have not sought God's face (like Caleb and Joshua did). I only seek His hand. Think about that for a minute...if He has proven that He is able to cover my butt, the only purpose of those crises and challenges is for me to show Him I believe Him. Until I seek God's face and enter into a serious relationship with Him, I cannot enter into the Promised Land He has already given me.

Don't you want to go to the Promised Land? Listen, there has never been a time that God has solved a problem the way I thought that He should. Rarely, has He ever provided for me in the manner that I expected Him to. So, the only remaining question is do I want to do God's will or do I want Him to do mine?

Father, if it is possible to take this cup from me, I would appreciate You doing that. Yet, not my will, but THY will be done!

Amen.