It seemed such a strange sensation. The other day I was able to go out with my wife to buy some shoes and then take her to lunch. Strange, it has been so so so long since we could go have lunch together, or do anything together apart from her driving me to medical appointments. Chronic illness and PAIN has got in the way for so so many years. STRANGE to sit there and my pain be under the radar, and be able to chat, like a normal couple. STRANGE to “feel” the pain under control and not cause me to have to leave and find my bed to fall into. STRANGE to feel a new weakness in my legs and make it harder to walk. STRANGE to enjoy such simple thing to walk into a few stores with her and to be able to do simple things that once were easy to take for granted, then again GRACE IS STRANGE. The awareness of physical weakness, and His grace is- present tense moment by moment sufficient. His Power made perfect in weakness. STRANGE the little things become big things and become reminders of opportunities to say… THANK YOU, LORD!… “His ways are not our ways…” As STRANGE AS THIS had been to me as the NORMAL has been mostly bed ridden, isolated ,illness and debilitated pain that has cut me off from so much yet NOT A STRANGER TO HIS GRACE! His grace manifested to us is His kindness and empowerment.
THE TENDERNESS OF GRACE;
It has been in such times when the mind and body and soul feeling beat down, exhausted, weariness, sleep deprivation my common and NEW NORM.I can recount times when the A/C would brake down in the heat of summer and heat is my enemy with my illness, and yet when I could not literally lift my head, He like a loving parent lifting the head of a sick child tenderly from their sick bed and dispensing medicine to help, He in His kindness when I could not think, so so sick, weary, reminded me of Himself and His Word and poured it into me from memory as He inwardly strengthened me in such times and I can look back and see His love amidst the difficulties, Him dispensing His Word to help and heal my battered mind, dispensing hope, encouragement as a spring board to praise Him and impart Hope {Read Ro 15:4-5, 13}. Grace is God’s love in action. It is not some impersonal force but Himself in action and how tender He shows Himself to be to us.
THE SUFFICIENCY OF GRACE;
How STRANGE is the Grace of God, that shines and is often known greater amidst the darkness of our circumstances. “MY GRACE IS SUFFICIENT…” The way it is written is “Sufficient for you is the grace of Me.” Himself the Gracious One made Himself known to Paul, the word “sufficient” means “ENOUGH!” He Himself ENOUGH for Paul, Sufficient for him. No Matter what he would face, he would never face it alone, Never. Never be deficient of “sufficient grace of Himself.” And Paul in response gloried in Him, and understood his weakness was the vehicle and God’s opportunity to show Himself strong. For in his weakness he would be Strong through the Grace of Him who is His Sufficiency. Sufficiency of the Risen Christ!
THE STRANGE GIVES WAY TO “SIGHT.”
How easy it is to fail to recognize His Grace, Divine favor and empowerment in the little daily things we often take for granted… and often against the backdrop of difficulty, the fog begins to lift and we see HIM, HIS GRACE, kindness, favor, divine help to us, and our difficulties become stepping stones to gratitude to Him for HIS GRACE.. and the little things no longer become STRANGE, because in them we see Him helping and at work and we know, though others may not , but we know it is HIM, Helping in a way we could not explain perhaps to others in an articulate way. But to know Him, His Grace and more and more we realize we are NOT STRANGERS TO HIS GRACE, BUT loving RECIPIENTS of the GRACE, Kindness, Divine and personal loving help of the LIVING GOD, in the circumstances we find ourselves in. Dependent on the arm of Omnipotence! Leaning in on the heart of The Suffering Savior, The MAN of SORROW ACQUAINTED with grief, our GREAT High Priest, who empathizes, the word means “to feel the very feelings you feel” who bids us come to His Throne of GRACE to RECEIVE Mercy, GRACE to help in time of need.
GRACIOUS SAVIOR
GRACIOUSNESS DISPENSED MOMENT BY MOMENT TO US GRACIOUS THRONE TO COME RECEIVE FROM HIM.
NO LONGER STRANGERS TO THE GOD OF GRACE- AMAZING GRACE!
Would I know Him better if I had not been in these STRANGE circumstances? Would I have ever have chosen these STRANGE Circumstances? No, a thousand times no, not in the natural, “BUT GOD…” He chooses wisely, lovingly, personally, the race set before for us to run and gives us the directions to Run the “race” {the word is where we get our English word, “agony” from}.”LOOK AWAY FROM ALL ELSE… TO JESUS…” and “run the race set before you.”
Another night little sleep, no longer STRANGE, just the NEW NORMAL to me, but in these times, I write a few thoughts down and often offer a prayer that He would encourage someone who reads…whatever “your STRANGE circumstances you are encountering they are not unknown to Him and for you He is your SUFFICIENT GRACE. You Never encounter anything alone or deficient or devoid of His moment by moment Grace. You are Loved by Him.
STRANGE what it can take to remind us of Him isn’t it? STRANGE we take so much and His kindness for granted.
BUT It was in my STRANGE circumstance of been able to go with my wife and do a few things, after a couple of years of been confined mostly to my room with chronic debilitating pain, that HE REMINDED me of His grace and a springboard to Him of thankfulness to be able to take her out, and sit and listen and chat {and not have to leave due to oncoming pain}, …a simple thing for so many, but for me, wonderment and praise and thanksgiving, sprung up to Him in the quietness of my heart as I was reminded… of HIM.
GRACE TO REMEMBER
-I am reminded of one of our children at a young age when I shared some trials with them for prayer and their prayer…”Thank You LORD for choosing these trials for us.” Brings tears to my eyes as I remember those words…Thank You LORD for GRACE to Recall your Faithfulness
THE STRANGE TURNS INTO SIGHT and recognizing Him in our circumstances and the “little things” are no longer “little” but “GOD THINGS!”
Thank You LORD!