SURROUNDING GRACE

Grace surrounds us. On the most ordinary days and in the most ordinary ways, the Lord is pouring out His grace.

We think of grace as that which forgave our sin and made our salvation possible.  That is true.  God’s grace was among the forces at work when He provided Jesus as Redeemer and Savior.

But there are other layers where grace is at work.  Grace allows us to enter His presence whether in prayer, or in praise, or in dire need.

Grace brings comfort and peace when the world and all it holds have ravaged our hearts and minds.  It is the sweet sense of God’s hand holding all things according to His purpose, even when we don’t understand what is going on.

It is grace that shows us our sin so that we may repent and restore intimate communion with our Lord.  Grace exposes our shortcomings and weaknesses, then also covers and supplies what we cannot produce with even our best efforts.  The Lord knows we are but dust and told us repeatedly that we can do nothing without Him.  We are the ones who need to be convinced that we can’t serve Him on our own.  In truth, we can’t draw our next breath without Him.

We would do much better to realize every day how very needy we are.  When we find we have wandered away from Him in any way, the answer is never to chastise ourselves, but simply run back to His presence admitting our failing as quickly as possible.

His grace brings healing and deliverance today just as it did when He walked the earth.  Any blessing we receive is a testimony of that grace.  In other circumstances, grace gives a great strength to joyfully trust in the Lord’s faithfulness when prayers are, as yet, unanswered.  The joyful, courageous heart is a great triumph and speaks to others of a God who can be trusted even when the way is dark.

Grace empowers.  He gives us His Spirit to live through us the life that He intended for us.  We were never meant to carry the burden of serving Him by our own strength, willpower, or wits.  His will is that we lay aside our own lives and put on the Lord Jesus Christ whose Spirit alone can live the Christian life.  We will always fail when we attempt to follow Him by means of our own resources.

 

Grace is thick with God’s very presence.

It takes some time, maybe some quiet, and a little practice to become more aware of both God’s presence and grace.

It is a home worth arriving at.

It can be as simple as turning your thoughts toward Him in the midst of whatever you are engaged in at the time.

A little acknowledgment of the gift He has given in this very moment.

Noticing a small part of creation.

Enjoying the company of a child.

Realizing the chaos of your everyday life means He has filled it with many gifts.

Thankfulness for a warm home.

Appreciating those who choose to share your life.

Rejoicing in whatever measure of health you enjoy.

Deliberately give thanks to God for these amazing gifts, and your senses become heightened to recognize His hand and his grace in more and more of your life.  Don’t just be thankful in a general sense, but express your thanks to Him and realize all that His grace is already doing in your life every day.

Awareness of His grace and gifts enables us to extend to others the forgiveness and love He has shown us.  We come to understand that He loves us and it’s wrong to hate what He loves, whether strangers, those we know well, or the one in the mirror.

Come continually to Him.  The answer to every need is found in coming to Him.  Ask the Lord to open your eyes to His grace surrounding you at this very moment.  He has promised His grace is sufficient for your need; let Him envelop your heart.  Return to that place every moment that your mind is free.  He will become the home of your heart, your refuge, your fortress where you will be safe in the face of every storm.

Acts 15:11; Hebrews 10:22; 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17; 1 John 1:9; Psalm 103:14;

John 15:4-5; James 1:17; James 1:2-4; Romans 6:3-14; Romans 13:14;

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18; Ephesians 4:32; Psalm 71:3; 2 Corinthians 12:9; Psalm 46:1-5