Leviticus 26:9

I WILL LOOK WITH FAVOR UPON YOU, AND MAKE
YOU FRUITFULL AND NUMEROUS, AS
I CARRY OUT MY COVENANT WITH YOU.
Leviticus 26:9

Covenant- a formal binding agreement; contract.
Comply- to act in accordance with another´s command

Once again we find a very "could be popular" verse, the kind we want to use when in distress. The kind I would choose to make a sweet card, for someone having a rough time or the kind I used to use to try to manipulate God... "God, you promised!"
Ouch. It hurts to see my own foolishness. How patient my God has been...
Of course, If I had kept quiet and heard His answer I know it would have been:
"Bea Gasca, read the whole chapter,please!"

You see, all covenants have clauses. After Jesus´s resurrection we are under a new covenant. But it still has clauses.
It is true that we no longer have to sacrifice animals to make peace with God. But God makes it clear IN the New Testament, that He expects us to live holy lives.
IF YOU LIVE IN ACCORDANCE WITH MY PRECEPTS AND
ARE CAREFUL TO OBSERVE MY COMMANDMENTS, I WILL...
Leviticus 26:3

This is a covenant.
As I stopped to analize what was wrong in my life, why things were going from bad to worse I dicovered the following, painful truth:
I wanted God to move in my favor, without complying with His commands.
Last year, one of the things God strongly rebuked me on was the fact that one day He asked me to write out all the Bible verses that had the word covenant for my pastor. I did. BUT, BUT, BUT,...how I hate this "BUT" (so does God)...
BUT I took out the "ugly" ones. Because I did not want to sound like some lunatic or freaky prophet...how stupid of me!!! how increadibly stupid of me, not to understand that a prophet speaks that which God commands- preatty or not.
So, I did not include verses such as:
BUT IF YOU DO NOT HEED ME AND DO NOT KEEP
ALL THESE COMMANDMENTS, IF YOU REJECT MY
PRECEPTS AND SPURN MY DECREES, REFUSING TO OBEY
ALL MY COMMANDMENTS, AND BREAKING MY COVENANT,
THEN I, IN TURN, WILL GIVE YOU YOUR DESERTS.
I WILL PUNISH YOU WITH TERRIBLE WOES- WITH
WASTING AND FEVER TO DIM THE EYES AND SAP THE
LIFE.
Leviticus 26:14

And then I wondered where God was... and why His promises seemed to be out of my reach. I mean, I din´t even know what clauses He was talking about. And the ones I did understand...I threw them out, because they were for others, in other circumstances, "not mine".
Simple clauses like:
Honor thy parents....what? you don´t know mine!
Pay your taxes...what? you don´t know the
country I live in!
Do not lust...have you seen modern clothes???

I found an excuse, to break every clause...yet, amazingly I expected God to comply with His part!
"you promised you would bless me!
you promised to change my life! (when I actually
meant: you promised to change the those around me!- and He hadn´t made such a promise.)
you promised ....you promised...WHY???
Why don´t you change my life?"

But the day came, our of mercy and out of grace when I did stop and heard His answer:
"Bea Gasca, read the whole chapter,please!"

And now I am studying the Bible to find out what the clauses are...because I know I want those blessings, over me and over my loved ones, over the nations.
so I will study them clauses, and put them into practice and then...and then I will humbly pray:
"Your Majesty,
remember our covenant...I have kept my clauses,
do you think it is time for the blessings?"

and then, I will sit in silence and hear His reply.
should there be anything missing...I will pay attention and obey dutifully...
I will do this until I hear Him say:
"Yes, Bea Gasca, it is time,
Now, let the rain fall!"

IF YOU LIVE IN ACCORDANCE WITH MY PRECEPTS
AND ARE CAREFUL TO OBSERVE MY COMMANDMENTS,
I WILL GIVE YOU RAIN IN DUE SEASON,
SO THAT THE LAND WILL BEAR ITS CROPS,
AND THE TREES THEIR FRUIT.
Leviticus 26:3-4