If you have ever been the bride or groom at a wedding, you probably remember so many details about that day. You knew your future spouse so well that nothing you two would face was going to change the way you felt in that moment in front of your loved ones—for better or worse, rich or poor, in sickness and in health. These are promises you made to one another that no matter what comes, you’re in this with them.
These vows are said by many couples each day. Marriage is a covenant made in love between you and your spouse. Many say the words to one another, but rarely do you think about the negative things on such a happy day—worse, poor, and sickness.
You are entering into this covenant with the love of your life even though you don’t know what this life will hold for you and even if there are times that are hard or troubling. Besides, if you knew in advance what you’d have to go through with your spouse would you have still said yes?
Some of you are shaking your heads right now and at times I think we are all there with you. When getting married, you know your spouse. You have learned facts about them and heard stories of their upbringing. But even if you spent ten years dating, there are still some things you didn’t know about them until you were joined together in the sight of God.
Everyone has the ability to know facts and history about someone. Few truly know a person from just being with them and experiencing life beside them. This is how it is with Jesus.
Many more people have heard facts about Him and know who He is than actually know Him on a personal level. How can you know someone personally and spend time with them if you can’t see them—you just have faith that they even exist?
Spending time in the presence of God helps you to know who He is. He asks us to come to Him and He will give us the rest and peace we need. He wants you to pray and give everything to Him so that He can work in your situation and fight your battles for you.
He wants you to be still and allow Him to work. It isn’t through your striving and strength that you make a difference in this world. It is only by His power and strength working in and through you that you are able to accomplish what you do.
The Bible teaches you so much about how to live a life that honors Him and brings glory to Him. When you accept Christ, His Spirit lives in you. In Him you are made new and are spiritually reborn. Through His Spirit you learn His Word on a deeper level as He makes the words more relevant to you.
The words He speaks will bring comfort and peace. This confidence and hope you have in Him is because you know Him by more than the words He has spoken. You know His heart and will for your life—the goodness the Father has to offer you.
So even though you will experience life through a better perspective with Him, you will also have trouble and sorrow. Knowing Christ though knows He has overcome the world through His life, death, and resurrection. He defeated death, hell, and the grave.
Jesus is the ultimate overcomer. You can be too with His Spirit living on the inside of you! You don’t know what living in covenant with Him will look like over the course of your lifetime, but if you trust Him and truly get to know Him on a personal level, you will be able to live courageously and trust that no matter what He has your back.
Have you truly made a covenant with God in accepting Christ and submitting your life to Him or have you just made a decision without allowing Him to completely change you, make you new, and making little to no attempt to actually get to know Him?
