I love my waffle house hash-browns “smothered and covered.” There’s just something about that cheese covering that makes just about any food better. My wife loves to cover people in a blanket, if you’re lying around the house without a blanket, chances are she’s going to cover you up whether you want it or not. And, we enjoy when someone picks up the restaurant bill and says “I got this covered.” That word, covered, can be such a comforting idea.
I think our enjoyment of that word goes deeper than even the basic human need to be safe and secure, it goes to the very depths of our relationship with God. See, from the very first breath of man, God gave us cover. He provided for Adam and Eve in the garden, He cared for their every need. In fact, even right after the very first sin, God had a covering plan. See, the Bible tells us that God covered them up in their humiliation of sin by killing an animal and making clothing for them. This was the first indication of God’s redemption mission to restore mankind through blood sacrifice. See, it was God’s doing, God’s covering that protected them. As the story continues in Genesis, many often wonder why Cain’s sacrifice of his very best, the fruits of his farming labor, was rejected by God. It’s because his offering was the result of his works, not God’s, it is our first indication that we cannot get to God on our own merit. God’s law requires a blood sacrifice for our sin. Abel brought God a blood sacrifice so that God could do the work of redemption and forgiveness. It is God who covers, nothing of our labor can replace that work. Ultimately, it is God’s perfect sacrifice of Jesus that frees those who would trust that sacrifice from the burden of sin. And His resurrection that gives us the power to live in victory over sin.
So today, instead of trying to cover up all that you’re ashamed of, instead of trying to do it your way, trust God to cover you with the tremendous grace of His wonderful gift of salvation. You can’t change the rules, you can’t bring your own version of sacrifice, it is all God’s work and it is His covering that will redeem you and change you. Then, love and respect that covering, thank God for it every day and the Bible says, live worthy of your covering as a means of eternal gratitude!
