Praying our Renewed Covenant
The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt—a covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, says the Lord. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, “Know the Lord,” for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the Lord; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more.
– Jeremiah 31:31-34
Over the past five weeks we have focused on our commitment to God. We discussed Scripture’s repeating story of God entering into covenant with His people, the people agree and desire to live aligned with their purpose in Him, and then they forget and return to living like all the people around them. We remembered who God is and considered the amazing gift He has planted within us. We considered barriers in our lives separating us from God’s amazing loving grace, the commitment necessary to bear the label disciple, the brevity of our life here on earth, and what it means to value God.
With this foundation in mind, let’s renew our covenant with God. Let’s pray a covenant renewal prayer and commit to align our lives with His purpose. God’s side of the covenant has not changed. His word is true. His promises are true. He does not need to renew His side of the covenant because He never wavered, but periodically we need to stop, turn around, face God and renew our covenant to Him.
First, sincerely seek God, receive His holy grace, search your spirit and soul, carefully consider the covenant, consider the things separating you from God, consider whether you desire to remove those things from your life, consider whether you are sincerely willing to choose to renew your commitment to Jesus Christ as your Savior and your Lord.
Second, consider with open eyes who it is you are addressing. As you pray, you are addressing the holy, divine, pure God, the Creator of the universe, the Author of life, the First Cause of all that exists, the Alpha and Omega. We cannot fully comprehend a single aspect of His being – His purity is beyond our ability to imagine, His power is incomprehensible, His mercy and love are with without comparison. He seeks covenant with you, and that is amazing beyond words.
Third, claim God’s covenant for yourself. God promises to give us power. He showers us with His holy grace. He promises that, through Jesus Christ, His Holy Spirit dwells within us. Through Jesus Christ, He promises to give us His life in abundance and to fill us with His light and love. He promises that His word is the Truth. Receive His promises, receive His life abundant, receive His power, rely on His Holy Spirit, not on your own strength and power.
Fourth, resolve to be faithful. You have given yourself to our Lord, you have confessed elements of your life separating you from Him and repented from them, you have received God’s holy grace, you have received His forgiveness through Jesus Christ, you have received His life abundant, His fullness, His wholeness. With God’s power, never go back.
Fifth, prepare to renew your covenant with the Lord. Bow before Him, raise your hands to heaven, open your heart to Him and pray.
Covenant Renewal Prayer
Father, I bow before you praising your holy name. I come to you with nothing except the blessings you have given me. Please forgive me. I have turned my love toward the world, I have yielded to temptation, I have worshiped idols. I freely, voluntarily and fully renounce all idols, cancel every invitation to evil, close the door to evil and reject sinful influences in my life.
Father, I turn back to you completely. Before heaven and earth, I renew my commitment to you as my God, and to Jesus Christ as my Lord, my Savior and the Way, and I invite the Holy Spirit to dwell within me more fully than ever before.
Father, you are the holy, pure, divine Creator. You are merciful and just. You are love. I offer myself as a holy, living sacrifice to you. I surrender myself to you. I am no longer my own. I renounce my own worthiness, wisdom and will. I place myself completely in your hands. I freely and with a willing heart give all of myself – spirit, soul and body – to you, for your pleasure and disposal. I ask to be your servant. I promise to follow your lead. Put me to doing, put me to suffering, let me be employed for you, or laid aside for you, let me be full, let me be empty, let me have all things, let me have nothing.
Lord, I am your empty vessel. Make me as you will. Thank you for your life and your light and your love. Amen.
Now what? How do we follow through on this? How do we live a life of this, our renewed covenant? We must be intentional about it. We must be disciplined.
As we prepare to leave this sacred time of prayer and re-enter the world, know in your heart that you are light. You are salt. You are unique. You are different from the world around you because the Holy Spirit dwells within you. You have His holy power. Endeavor to keep your connection with Him alive and fresh and whole.
Each day, be intentional about your relationship with Him. Nourish your life with spiritual discipline. Set aside time to be alone with our Lord, seek God earnestly, receive His holy grace, study Scripture daily, pray all the time, worship Him publicly and privately, search your heart, carefully consider the covenant, consider the things separating you from God, and when He reveals those things to you that need to be removed from your life, pray for the courage and strength to remove those things from your life.
Father, praise your holy name. You are holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty. You are holy, pure, divine. You are love and we know you love each of us. Thank you for Jesus, Thank you for the Holy Spirit, Thank you for your angels guarding us and lifting us up, Thank you for showering us with your holy, loving grace. Enlighten the eyes of our spirits that we may see, open our ears that we may hear, soften our hearts that your seeds may grow fully. Father, may your Spirit of revival erupt into flames in each church, in each city, in each state, in each nation, in the full Body of Christ. May it begin in our hearts, here, today, now. In Jesus’ holy name we pray, Amen.