A Covenant People

 …. Rank me with who you will

Now here is a real test of our commitment. I mean following Jesus is tough enough … but now we have to follow Him alongside others. And sometimes He sets us a task to do with someone else and we have to learn to work together. Ouch!

I don’t know about you but so often it is easier just to do things ourselves. When we have to cooperate with others it can be an intensely humbling experience. We discover all sorts of character flaws in ourselves when the pressure is on .. and we discover that actually others can do some things better than we can. When you only ever have to compare yourself to yourself you score pretty high.

God has designed human beings as social creatures. He has designed us in such a way as to be unique and magnificent in our own right … but also to need others in order to truly BE. As the Ubuntu saying goes: A person is a person because of other people. We discover ourselves through relationships with other people … and we express ourselves through relationships with other people.

The wise saying in Ecclesiastes 4:12 is that “though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” There is great strength in human cooperation!

Yet, on the other hand, there is that Biblical proverb (27:17) that highlights the difficulty of working together with others: “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” Sometimes when we work together, sparks fly.

Some people we love working with … and others seem to drain us.

So this part of our Covenant prayer is essentially saying to the Lord: Whomever you decide I need to work with in order to accomplish your purposes … I will trust Your wisdom and work with them to the best of my ability!

Father, I have to thank You for looking beyond my faults and for loving me unconditionally. Forgive me when I fail to love others in the same way. Give me eyes to see the needs of the difficult people in my life, and show me how to meet those needs in a way that pleases You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.