God’s Grace Is All We Need

 

I was asked to pray for a couple that had just received some difficult news about their sick daughter. She’s 21 and has been wheelchair bound from a debilitating disease for most of her life. Their daughter has been in the hospital for the last two weeks, and her condition hasn’t improved. They’ve called their family together because they need to decide whether to keep her on life support.

Life is constantly proving that in the blink of an eye, all can change. An unexpected situation can happen so quickly that it can literally take your breath away. These situations can leave us confused and devastated beyond anything we could have imagined. In the thick of it, we might be tempted to think that our sorrows and tribulations are unfixable. We can’t see a resolution, and our options are so bleak that we feel trapped.

The Apostle Paul understood this more than most. He had once led a life of privilege, and arrogance blinded him from the truth of God’s Word. He couldn’t see the glorious light of Christ, and because of this, he did terrible things to God’s people. He had them jailed, tortured, and executed. One day, when he was on the road to Damascus to do more damage to the people of God, he had a life-changing encounter with Jesus Christ. Acts 9:4-5(NLT) states, “4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?” 5 “Who are you, lord?” Saul asked. And the voice replied, “I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting!”

Paul was converted on that trip to Damascus, and it changed his life completely. He began to teach the Gospel to God’s people, but because of his past, the going wasn’t always easy. He faced obstacles from those that loved Christ, and he also faced persecution from those who hated Christ, but he wasn’t deterred. The Spirit worked mightily with Paul and because of this, the believers came around; they couldn’t deny that he was sent by God. But he still had lots of challenges, some that vexed him terribly. Paul said in 2Corinthians 12:8-9(NLT), “8 Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. 9 Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.”

Paul was having a difficult time, and after he begged the Lord once, things didn’t let up. God was faithful to give him a Word, but in the beginning, Paul had trouble understanding it. Paul understood that God is our Rescue and He cannot fail, so he went back a second time. The Lord said, “My grace is all you need.” This allows us to see that the responsibility to believe, trust, and walk in God’s grace rested with Paul, just as it rests with each of us. Paul needed a greater revelation of God’s grace, and he went back to Heavenly Father a third time, begging God to take away his affliction. Finally, Paul received the revelation of what God conveyed, and it is a strategy to overcome that all of us must use.

We don’t always understand the things that happen in life, why bad things happen to good people. These things are very troubling and difficult, but we can never allow anything in life to alter our trust in God. His grace is His kindness shown toward us even though we don’t deserve it. We can’t beat God’s giving no matter how hard we try. We could not in any way have done anything to deserve all that He’s done for us through Jesus Christ. Although life has incredible challenges, this must never overshadow God amazing grace.

Immersing ourselves in God’s overwhelming grace is the strategy that causes a shift in our own hearts and minds, and then in our circumstances. It’s our privilege and duty to spend every moment of our lives thanking God for His grace and His many blessings. Only He can build us up, strengthen us in our times of trouble, and forgive us for all the things we get wrong in life. Even when it feels as though we’re cornered and don’t know what decision to make or what to do, He is able to save the day! We simply must trust God and deliver our situations into His all-powerful hands. He will help us in our time of need. His strength works best during our weakest times, and we can be assured with absolute certainty that His grace is all we need. ■

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

“God’s Grace Is All We Need”, written by Kim for https://rescuefromdomesticviolence.blogspot.com© 2022. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.