What is God’s grace? A shortened version: It’s God’s unmerited favor. Often times God’s grace is confused with God’s mercy. It’s by God’s mercy that I don’t really get all that I deserve. But, it’s God’s grace that we can draw from when we go through difficult times.
Oswald Chambers writes:
The grace you had yesterday will not be sufficient for today. Grace is the overflowing favor of God, and you can always count on it being available to draw upon as needed. “. . . in much patience, in tribulations, in needs, in distresses”— that is where our patience is tested ( 2 Corinthians 6:4 ). Are you failing to rely on the grace of God there? Are you saying to yourself, “Oh well, I won’t count this time”? It is not a question of praying and asking God to help you— it is taking the grace of God now. We tend to make prayer the preparation for our service, yet it is never that in the Bible. Prayer is the practice of drawing on the grace of God. Don’t say, “I will endure this until I can get away and pray.” Pray now — draw on the grace of God in your moment of need. Prayer is the most normal and useful thing; it is not simply a reflex action of your devotion to God. We are very slow to learn to draw on God’s grace through prayer.
“To draw upon as needed….” The measure of grace God gives someone who just lost their child is much greater than the measure of grace I might need for a financial struggle. But, His grace is always sufficient. No matter what situation we are in. We just have to draw on it.
Kris and I were talking about how our life is going to change when Jett arrives. How am I going to deal with the stresses of a newborn, two kids in school, and being so far away from my momma? Then, I remembered when John Henry was born.
I was a single mother. I was the only one getting up in the middle of the night with him. I was the only one clothing him, bathing him, and feeding him. By the time he was six weeks old, I was back at work. I would get him up in the mornings, get him dressed and fed, and put him in his little bouncy seat. I’d put that bouncy seat in my bathroom while I showered and got ready for work. Then, off we’d go.
I don’t remember any moments where I was ready to pull my hair out. I do remember an overwhelming peace in our little home. I remember a sweet baby boy who began sleeping through the night early. I remember not wanting to go out for New Year’s Eve, because I just wanted to spend the evening with him.
What was it that made our first few months alone together so peaceful? So wonderful?
I’m pretty sure it was God’s grace on my life. I never stopped crying out to Him. I never stopped praying that God would make something great of my disappointment in life – my divorce.
He did. He was faithful. And, in the meantime of going through it all, His grace was sufficient.
Sometimes, I forget to draw on that grace today. That unmerited favor of God. So, He reminds me of how His grace was sufficient when…..
And when……
And when…..
And, then? I count my stones.
