Thursday, February 19, 2026
I am currently taking an Introduction to the Old Testament class. As part of our discussion on the Abrahamic covenant, our prof reminded us that in the Ancient Near East a covenant was ratified by the sacrifice of animals, who were cut in half and then laid out in such a way that the two parties could walk between them to signal their intention to keep their part of this covenant.
In the Abrahamic covenant ceremony, only God passed between the animals, signifying that He was the one who was going to remain faithful, even when we, His people, would not. It’s a powerful image that moves me to deep gratitude: even when I am unfaithful, God remains faithful. He keeps His promise that He made to me through Abraham.
Our Deuteronomy passage is taken from a covenant renewal ceremony before Israel crosses the Jordan into the land they have been promised. As we enter the season of Lent, I wonder if it might be helpful to think of this time as a ‘covenant renewal’- a time to assess our posture toward the God who has continued to be faithful to His covenant promises to us.
In our passages for today, Moses invites the assembled Israelites to “choose life,” Jesus reminds His disciples that a true follower must “deny himself and take up his cross daily,” and Psalm 1 uses the language of posture (“walk… stand… sit”) for the actions of covenant-keeping.
When I read Psalm 1 in the context of the other two passages for today, I was struck by the thought that perhaps where we walk, where we choose to stand and where we sit down might be practical choices we can pay attention to this Lenten season.
Let’s dive a little deeper to see what this Psalm might suggest about paying attention to our own posture as we go about our daily lives. First, are there ruts we tend to slide into, narratives our mind gravitates toward that we could examine a little more honestly in this season? What would it look like to ‘watch our step’ and lean into what God has told us about who He is and who we are?
Second, where do we find ourselves standing- stopping and making agreement- because we’ve lost the thread of God’s goodness or the sense of His presence with us? Is there a way we can remain open in order to allow a change to come?
Lastly, have we taken our seat with those who criticize, become too casual about the popular opinions being dispensed on social media, lost our ability to be teachable? Is there an invitation to humility and gentleness? Perhaps with ourselves as much as with others?
To return to the covenant-renewal ceremony mentioned at the beginning, let’s remember that God is taking the initiative, holding the covenant and inviting us to simply lean in to Him, choose Him, pay attention, and ask for the help we need. I’ve included a lovely prayer of surrender, called The Surrender Novena, that might help you in this season of covenant-renewal. You can pray with it over nine days or listen to it all at once.
Wanda Kopp
Surrender Novena John Andrew Shreiner
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