Covenants

 



Studying in Isaiah today we were reading in Isaiah 51:1-3.


It's a guide for those seeking to follow righteousness.


"Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the Lord: look unto the rock whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged."


It's says to listen and follow Him, remembering that it is He who created us.  


"2 Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bare you: for I called him alone, and blessed him, and increased him."


Look back at Abraham and Sarah.  It may have seemed too late.  


That the blessings were past possibility.  


But God not only remembered them, but He made them more.  


Covenants were made and blessings promised. 


And covenants were kept. 


Being covenant keepers is an essential part of the path of righteousness.  


The blessings are great.


"For the Lord shall comfort Zion: he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody."


Making beauty out of deserts and wastelands.  


Joy, gladness and hearts full of song and gratitude.  


All blessings of covenant keeping.


President Rosemary M Wixom

summed it up beautifully, "Keeping Covenants Protects Us, Prepares Us, and Empowers Us".


Today at seminary one of our youth suggested that the Word of Wisdom is a covenant that protects us.  That sentiment was echoed through the sorrowful but adamant words of a third grader who leaned in to rest his head against my arm and then said with conviction, "You know what, Mrs. Potter?"


"What buddy?"  I turned in to listen closely.


"When I'm a dad, I'm never going to drink.  Because drinking makes you not the best dad for your kids."


I blinked back tears, knowing just what the details of that "not best" looked like this week for this little guy.  


Violence and damage, cruel words and hatred.  Family splintering and taking sides. 


And I gave him a hug and told him I was proud of him and that I believed he would be a great dad someday.


Covenants protect us.


I thought back to the many times when I've been obedient without full understanding, only to find out ten years down the road something I learned while serving alongside another was just what I needed for a moment now.


Covenants prepare us.


The simple act of making and keeping covenants teaches us to be honest, demonstrate integrity and live a principled life, not common in today's society.  Knowing that God is on our side, gives me strength and courage to step outside my comfort zone and reach out to others in love and faith and to be honest even if I do it alone.


Covenants empower us.


Covenants truly protected, prepared and empowered Sarah and Abraham and they will truly protect, prepare and empower us each today, if we keep them. 




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