Covenant, Covering and Cleansing
by David Cross
This intimate picture, spoken through the words of Ezekiel, expresses God’s view of Jerusalem. He likens the city to a vulnerable young girl, needing His protection and restoration.
Beyond this being a beautiful description of God’s response to the needs of the city and its people, we are given a remarkable insight into the way He longs to bring restoration to the whole of humanity. The process can be summarised by the words covenant, covering and cleansing, and I believe that there is a divine order in these steps.
Without a covenant relationship with God, now made possible for the whole of mankind through the cross, there is no opportunity to truly benefit from divine love and grace. The offer is there for everyone, but it remains our choice as to whether we are willing to acknowledge and follow Jesus as our personal representative in that covenant.
The consequence of this new relationship is then a daily opportunity, through our response to God’s call for repentance, to be rescued from the spiritual hostility of this world, past and present, and to discover a place of His covering and safety. The word atonement, used throughout the Bible, simply means divine covering.
And lastly, as we are brought into God’s protective covering, He makes available to us His spiritual cleansing from all that has defiled and distorted us through the woundedness and sinfulness of our lives. Our whole body can then know His restoration.
This journey of covenant, covering and cleansing is indeed the healing and deliverance ministry of Jesus.
Prayer: Father God, You spoke such remarkable truths about Yourself through the Old Testament prophets. It is such a privilege to see the outworking of those truths in and through the Body of Christ today. Keep us faithful to the calling of being an instrument of Your restoration in people’s lives. Amen.
David Cross David is part of the Executive Leadership of Ellel Ministries, with particular responsibility for the Ellel centres in Western Europe. He is married to Denise and they have three grown up children and eight grandchildren. David has been a civil engineer and ski-touring instructor in the Highlands of Scotland. He is passionate about the teaching and practice of the healing and deliverance ministry of Jesus and has written several books: Soul Ties, Trapped by Control, God’s Covering, The Dangers of Alternative Ways to Healing(co-authored with John Berry), an A to Z Guide to the Healing Ministry, What`s Wrong with Human Rights? and, most recently, God`s Way out of Depression. You can follow a daily thought from David on Twitter: @dmcross62
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