Grace

Grace. The word drips with rest and relief. Experiencing grace is like falling into a  towering feather bed, enveloped in comfort, our head gently landing on a plush pillow of peace.

We need grace.

We are undeniable fallen and frail. Utterly human.

Even the most ardent seeker of righteousness stumbles and slips down it’s path.

God’s solution? Grace

A fresh start. A clean slate. A hand up. 

Strong’s concordance defines grace as:

      Good will, loving-kindness, favor: of the merciful kindness by which God, exerting his holy influence upon souls, turns them to Christ, keeps, strengthens, increases them in Christian faith, knowledge, affection, and kindles them to the exercise of the Christian virtues.

       Keeping, strengthening, kindling. These are things we all need to keep running the race of faith.

How then do we move from acknowledging grace as a lovely concept to experiencing His amazing grace?

Hebrews 4:15-16 gives us some points that guide us in that direction:

“For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

He is perfect, we are not.

Recognizing our imperfection helps us to acutely realize our glaring need for grace. But realizing that Jesus, (Who was fully God and fully man while on earth,) encountered every kind of temptation that you and I will ever struggle with, yet never sinned,- gives us confidence in His ability to understand and aid.

Because of what He encountered in the flesh, He has great sympathy and empathy for us. He really does know what you are going through. And He, the Perfect One, can give us His strength in our weakness. We just have to admit that we need His grace and that we can’t handle this on our own. We just can’t.

Go boldly to the throne of grace

Perhaps you have only envisioned His throne as one of judgement. While He is the rightful Ruler of the whole earth, His throne is one of tender mercies for the one who approaches in humility and honesty. We are encouraged to come boldly into His presence. I picture a child running to her father, with complete assurance that what she will find there is a welcoming embrace and a strong shoulder to cry on.

Pour out your heart.

Emotions unbridled can lead to errant thinking and silly conclusions.

Take all your fears, doubts, failures, and insecurities to God and tell Him all about them. (He already knows them anyway-this is for us.) Resist coming with an agenda or a script. Allow your only expectation to be that He will meet you there and sort it out!  Let the throne of grace be a place of real transformation, not ritualistic prayer. Trade in your struggles for the Living God’s intervention in your heart, mind and circumstances.

Come in time of need

Well, if you’re like me, that could be every day or several times a day depending on the day! The great news here is that grace is a river that never runs dry. Really. You cant use it up. It is the very framework of the throne of the Grace-full One.

I love how Phil Wickham personifies “grace” in his song of the same title, “Grace”

“Grace I call Your name
Oh won’t Your smile fall over me
I’m cracked and dry on hands and knees
Oh sweet grace rain down on me I need You grace”

Grace is not a virtue, a quality or an essence that can be found anywhere except in a Person. The Person of Jesus Christ. 

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.’ ”

And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” John 1:14-17

Drawing near to Him is the place where we always find Grace.

I think you know where I am.

A roller coaster of emotions have often left me dizzy in this process, but God beckons me to come bring it all to His throne, where I have never failed to find mercy and grace to help!

Test one this last Wednesday, revealed cancer in my lung node. This stages me at 3a.

I will have an similar procedure next week ( I’ll know exactly when it will happen on Monday morning). This endoscopy will biopsy an esophagus node. If this is positive, it moves me to stage 4. Treatment options are considerably better for 3a. I’m asking our gracious God for a negative result!  And, I’m positively sure He will be always be on His throne of grace!!