I think it’s difficult for people in the contemporary Western world to think in terms of covenant. We understand legal documents and binding agreements. We understand keeping our promises. But how many of us begin to understand God’s covenant with us?

Perhaps, rather than seeing the covenant first, which leads to abundance, we can focus on the abundance that is already here—because God, who is generous, created the world we live in. And there is indeed abundance, at least until human greed gets in the way of it. But we can pray for the ability to see the many riches and graces in the world around us every day. Then our gratitude draws us to the Giver. And, over time and our own spiritual growth, we devote ourselves to God, the Giver, more and more. As usual, God draws us into relationship through love—not through fear or demands. Love is the abundance. And the fact that God’s love for us is constant is proof that the covenant between God and us already exists.