At first we want to be conscious of God's presence,
then as we go on we live so much in the consciousness of God
that we do not need imperial evidence of His presence.
We accept His constant presence unequivocally.
It happened so long ago…. Bill pursued me relentlessly, obviously, and heedlessly. He had made up his mind that I was perfect for the "wife-material" he had envisioned. When I realized just how serious he was about this relationship, I began evaluating him as "husband-materia.l" Then came the day when he proposed and I said, "Yes." We stood in front of his Dad, a minister, and agreed to a contract between the two of us, a life-long contract. Our first years were fun and frustrating all at the same time. We were getting to know each other; we were vulnerable, at times transparent, experiencing the intimacy of marriage, and dodging dangerous potholes frequently. But we in time became comfortable with each other. We could sit and find it wasn't necessary to talk; we could not look "perfect" and weren't anxious about our acceptance; we were married. We had a contract that proved that relationship to us and to anyone who might have questioned. As the months passed, we accepted our marital status and honored the rules of the contract. We both began living like a married person. Bill didn't have to prove himself in any way, nor did I. Neither of us ever posed the question, "Are we really married?" We were. There was never a doubt about our being married. We had agreed to the contract. That settled that.
God, the "hound of heaven," pursued me relentlessly, heedlessly, and patiently. [1] I became aware of His persistent presence, and then one day He invited me to become a part of His family. [2] I accepted His invitation and entered into a covenant with Him, a "forever" covenant. Since that day I have been "getting to know Him" in all of His magnificence, His unconditional love, and what He has prepared for me as a member of His family! I have become very comfortable being in His presence and I never question the validity of our relationship. All I need to do is remember that we have a "forever" covenant agreement. I never need to pose the question, "Am I really a part of the covenant Jesus ratified with His death?" It is settled.
There is a big difference between a contract and a covenant. A contract can be broken by either party with minor or major accusations. You don't even really need a lawyer to break the marriage contract. You consult with your lawyer in order to "rightly divide" the children and the belongings. Broken contracts are common today. You can ignore a covenant, violate a covenant, ridicule that covenant, but it can never be broken. Repeat: His covenant can never be broken.
So, if I begin to have doubts [3] about my relationship with God (Am I really saved? Is there something more I should do? I don't act right! Do I really want to be in His family? Am I going to Heaven?), I'm just "whistlin'
The writer of Hebrews tells us, for where a covenant is, there must of necessity be the death of the one who made it. [4] It is the death of Christ, not His life, which put into effect the new covenant with all its blessings, and we are a part of that covenant. We said "yes" to His proposal. There's no way we can get out of that covenant. I can ignore it, make fun of it, violate it, but I am forever a part of His family. I may be a disgrace to His name, I might do all sorts of things that embarrass my Father, I may bring grief into His life, but I must remember that I am a part of His forever covenant.
Thank You, precious Jesus, for the covenant You died to bring into existence and for Your invitation to join You in that covenant. I am honored. I know that I am special. I belong to You! That is Your covenant and it will never ever be broken. Amazing!
