Jesus Christ has made it possible for every human being to be reconciled with God. When we entrust our lives to Jesus Christ, accepting the gift of forgiveness that he offers to us, he brings us back into God’s favour. When Jesus Christ reconnects us with God it is not into some vague friendship. Jesus Christ brings us into a ‘covenant relationship’ with God. It is like a marriage: it is formal and enduring; it has binding force on all who enter into it. This was understood by the Old Testament believers through the temple system. The temple sacrifices reminded them continually that God was binding his people to him and himself to his people by specific covenant ceremonies that were rich in symbolism. We also are in a covenant relationship with God. God’s love for us is not just a momentary affection that might ‘wear off’ or be diminished by our failings. The Hebrew word for the love that God gives us is Hesed, translated as ‘unfailing love’ or ‘steadfast love’. The word actually has strong covenant overtones. It could be translated as ‘covenant love’. Here in Psalm 119 the psalmist relates to God with a clear understanding that he is bound to God and God is bound to him by an everlasting covenant. He draws comfort from this because it makes the future certain and gives his life clear direction. God’s Word is his covenant letter to us. It tells us how we must live, but it also tells us what we can expect from God. If reading the Bible doesn’t change the way you live, then you not reading it rightly.
Ask God to increase your faith.
Read Psalm 119:73-80
