His Grace Covers Me

I’ve been thinking a lot about God’s grace lately. About its depth and breadth. About its significance. About its necessity.

Grace is often define as unmerited favor. God’s grace is kindness we haven’t earned. Yet such grace is also de-merited favor. It’s not only that we haven’t earned God’s favor, we don’t even deserve it.

Life itself is an act of God’s grace: “nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything” (Acts 17:25). Certainly, God’s grace is inexorably linked to our justification: “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8). But it’s also the source of sanctification: “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age” (Titus 2:11-12).

The more I dwell on God’s grace in my life, the more I see it:

• in the trials I face

• in times of waiting

• in times of joy

• in interruptions to my plans

• in challenging relationships

• in my failures

• in times of rest and refreshment

Indeed, God’s grace is more extensive, necessary, abundant, and amazing than my finite mind can fathom.

His Grace Covers Me

Before the very first dawn,
before life took its first breath,
I was known,
chosen,
beloved,
treasured.
Before I ever was, God’s grace covered me.

In a quiet garden, and on a moonlit night.
He prayed, wept, and left crimson droplets
He’s then arrested,
beaten,
mocked,
crucified.
A lamb slaughtered in my place.

His grace covered me.

Memories, like dark shadows, cling to me
Haunting me wherever I go
whispering,
chiding,
mocking,
shaming.
The past merges with the present, I cannot tell the difference.

Yet, his grace covers me.

My heart fixates on created things,
Striving to fill the aching void.
Longing for purpose,
meaning,
hope,
deliverance.
They fail to deliver and I only want more.

His grace still covers me.

My tongue is a traitor, saying things I soon regret.
Hurting those I love with:
sarcastic jabs,
biting retorts,
piercing put-downs,
harsh comebacks.
I wound and slay with the smallest of weapons.

His grace continues to cover me.

My world flips upside-down and inside-out
as I face sorrow and suffering:
loss,
illness,
persecution,
failure.
I cry out, “Why?” “How long?” and “When will you deliver?”

Then too, his grace covers me.

The day is almost night; my flesh and heart fail.
The veil gives way and I behold his face— now
perfected,
cleansed,
healed,
glorified.
Sanctified and complete, I worship before my Savior’s feet.

From beginning to end, his grace covers me.

Do you trace God’s grace in your life?

From Darkness to Light

Have you ever been in absolute darkness? We once did a cave tour where the guide turned off all the lights for just a minute so we could experience what it was like for gold miners when their lamps were extinguished. I hated every second of that darkness.

On a recent camping trip, we took an ATV out into the middle of a canyon in eastern Utah. And when I say the middle of nowhere, I mean nowhere. The sky was cloudy and threatening rain, so when we went to sleep, it was dark with no stars to illuminate the our campsite.

In the middle of the night, I woke up in a panic. All I could see was deep darkness. I felt closed in. Trapped. I threw my sleeping bag to the side and jumped up to open the zippered door. I stood for a while outside the tent to breath in the cool night air. I shined my flashlight all around so I could see something. Anything.

Back inside the tent, I left my flashlight on for the rest of the night so I could see the shape of the tent and know where I was.

Light and Darkness

The darkness can be frightening. Without a light source, we can’t navigate or see where we are going. We stumble and fall as we trip over the things we can’t see. In many ways, the darkness reveals our vulnerabilities.

That’s just with physical darkness. How much more with spiritual darkness!

Scripture often talks about darkness and contrasts it to light. At the beginning of all things, God cut into the darkness with just his words and light appeared (Genesis 1:2-3). The Bible describes our sinful state as that of darkness (Acts 26:18, Ephesians 5:8, Colossians 1:13). Those who are outside of Christ are said to love the darkness and hate the light (John 3:20). Just as he did in creation, God shines light into the darkness of our hearts and brings us into the light of life.

The Apostle John equates Christ with light, “In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” ( John 1: 4-5). As Christians, brought from death to life in Christ, we are children of the light and are to walk in the light (Ephesians 5:7-14). In the new heavens and new earth, there will be no more darkness. There won’t even be any need for the sun, for God himself will be our light (Revelation 22:5).

We Need the Light

To be honest, I often fear physical darkness more than I do spiritual darkness. I’m more on alert when I walk to my car late at night than I am living life in a spiritually dark world. I am quick to turn on the lights in a room so I can see, but not so quick to turn to the Word to illuminate the darkness of my heart. I am more likely to remember to bring a flashlight while walking at night than I am to remember that it is Christ and his word which lights the path of my life.

It’s even more dangerous when I grow used to the spiritual darkness around me. When I don’t even notice the deeds of darkness I watch on television or hear on the radio or read when I scroll through social media. When I blend in so much with the world that my life looks no different. Or worse, when I don’t even recognize the sin in my own heart.

Light is good and necessary. Certainly, we need it to navigate the darkness in our physical world. But we need the light even more so in our spiritual lives, for it brings us life. Praise the Lord for bringing us out of darkness and into his marvelous light! May we not take the light for granted. May we strive to put to death the deeds of darkness and live in the light. May we allow God’s word to shine a light into the deepest recesses of our heart, so that more and more of our sinful flesh is put to death through the work of the Spirit in us.

And may we look forward to the day when darkness is no more and the light of God radiates throughout the whole universe.

Blessed in Christ

Have you ever seen the hashtag #blessed? People often add it to the end of social media posts. It’s a way of showing gratitude for the good things in life. Where they think such blessings come from is another matter altogether.

The Bible uses the word “blessed” too. It means means to give praise. And when the Bible uses the word “blessed,” it uses it in reference to God. After all, it is God who created and sustains all things. All good things come from his hand alone. That’s why the psalmist wrote, “Blessed are those who dwell in your house, ever singing your praise!” (Psalm 84:4).

For the believer, we are indeed “blessed.” In Ephesians 1:3-14, Paul wrote a list of all the blessings we have as Christians. This list is actually a doxology and in the Greek is written as one very long sentence. In verse 3, Paul uses three forms of the word blessed: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.”

What are those blessings?

• he chose us in Christ (v.4)

• to be holy and blameless (v.4)

• he predestined us for adoption (v.5)

• we have the blessings of his grace (v.6)

• we have redemption in Christ (v.7)

• we have forgiveness of sins (v.7)

• he’s revealed to us the mystery of Christ (v.9)

• we have an inheritance (v.11)

• we are the praise of his glory (v.12)

• we have the gift of the Holy Spirit (v.13)

No wonder Paul wrote this passage as a doxology of praise! What a litany of gifts we’ve received through Christ! Doesn’t make you want to respond in a song of praise of your own?

Not only are we blessed in Christ, we are rich in Christ. “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight.” In Christ, God pours down his riches of grace upon us. Before he spun this blue marble into space, before the very first sunrise, God chose us to be his children. He sent his son to rescue and redeem us from sin. He gave us his Spirit to live within us. And he’s made us his heirs. We are rich beyond measure through our union with Christ!

As you scroll through social media and see posts tagged with #blessed, you may look at the vacation photos, the newly acquired material possessions, the seemingly happy faces and think that your life is not #blessed in comparison. Open up God’s word and read through Ephesians 1. There you will see, you are indeed #blessed beyond measure. You are blessed with a rich inheritance that will outlast anything on this earth. You are beloved and known by the God of the universe. You are his child, redeemed with a purpose.

So let us do as Paul calls us to do, respond in praise, blessing the One who has #blessed us with all the spiritual blessings in Christ.

Three Things to Remember When Life is Hard

Last year, during our trip to Israel, I had the opportunity to visit a site that held special significance for me. While every site we explored was important and meaningful, this particular site was one I had spent a year thinking about and studying when I wrote A Heart Set Free. To see it in person was surreal and I couldn’t help but respond with strong emotion. What site was it? En Gedi.

The word En Gedi means “spring of the wild goat.” En Gedi is an oasis in the middle of the Judean Wilderness. What makes it so remarkable is its close proximity to the Dead Sea; everything in the surrounding area is dead, lifeless. Yet, wild goats feed off the lush and vibrant plants that grow there. A stream of water rushes through the middle of the oasis. Surrounding this stream are rocky cliffs dotted with caves. It is in those caves where David hid while on the run from King Saul in the Old Testament.

1 Samuel 24:1-2 says, “When Saul returned from following the Philistines, he was told, “Behold, David is in the wilderness of Engedi.” Then Saul took three thousand chosen men out of all Israel and went to seek David and his men in front of the Wildgoats’ Rocks.” In those caves, frightened and alone, David penned at least two psalms, Psalm 57 and 142.

David’s Cry in Psalm 142

In Psalm 142, David cries out to the Lord for help and hope. “With my voice I cry out to the LORD; with my voice I plead for mercy to the LORD. I pour out my complaint before him; I tell my trouble before him” (Psalm 142:1-2). He tells the Lord exactly how he is feeling and what he is going through. He says “my spirit faints within me” (v.3). “I am brought very low” (v.6). And “Deliver me from my persecutors, for they are too strong for me!” (v. 6).

While few of us have been on the run from our enemies as David was, we do know what it’s like to be at then end of our rope, to feel stuck with nowhere to turn. We know what it feels like to be in despair or to feel lost and alone. We know what it’s like to be afraid. We know what it’s like to face something so frightening, we can’t imagine any way around it. We know what it’s like to look for help and find none (v.4).

In the midst of that terrifying circumstance, David turned to the LORD God. He turned to the great I Am for help and hope.

For those of us who find ourselves with similar emotions to what David writes about in Psalm 142, there are three things we can remember from this passage.

God’s Knows

In verse three, David wrote “When my spirit faints within me, you know my way!” Our God is an omniscient God. He knows all things. He knows the end from the beginning. He is never surprised or caught off guard by the circumstances of our lives. And he knows us intimately. As David wrote elsewhere, “O LORD, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O LORD, you know it altogether” (Psalm 139:1-4).

God knows just what to do in all circumstances. And he knows what is best for us. John Calvin encourages us to rest in the fact that God knows: “God knew the way to deliver him, while his own mind was distracted by a variety of thoughts, and yet could not conceive any mode of extrication. The words teach us, when we have tried every remedy and know not what to do, to rest satisfied with the conviction that God is acquainted with our afflictions, and condescends to care for us, as Abraham said --"The Lord will provide." (Genesis 22:8.)”

God is Our Refuge

David turned to God because he knew God was his refuge. “I cry to you, O LORD; I say, ‘You are my refuge,
my portion in the land of the living’” (v. 5). The Hebrew word for refuge is “machaseh” which means hope, place of refuge, shelter, or trust (Strongs 4268). David put his trust and hope in God.

In the midst of your current trial, wherein do you place your hope and trust? It’s easy to turn to false refuges, to run and hide in metaphorical caves, or to seek out hope in created things rather than in the Creator. But those false refuges will only let us down. God alone is our place of safety. And it’s only in God that we find all we need. Like the Levites who had no land of their own, God is our portion; he is our inheritance. He is our Father and we are his children. We can call on him anytime and anywhere and know that he hears us. We can trust him to be our refuge and hope in times of trouble.

God Will Deliver

David ends his psalm with confidence. “The righteous will surround me, for you will deal bountifully with me” (v. 7). The armies that surrounded David were stronger than he was, but he knew God was stronger still. He knew and expected that God would deliver him. He knew he would once again be surrounded by God’s people.

Though the effects of the fall ravage our lives, though sin seems to have a grip on us, though evil appears to be winning, God is our deliverer. We only have to look to Christ and what he has accomplished for us in his life, death, resurrection, and ascension. He brought us from death to life. He redeemed us from slavery to sin. He made peace for us with God. He gave us the gift of his Spirit to change and transform us. Because of Christ, we too can face the hard circumstances of life with confidence, not in ourselves, but in who Christ is for us.

Dear friend, when life is hard, cry out to God in lament. Tell him your sorrows and fears. Ask for his help and deliverance. Put your hope and trust in him, for he is your refuge and portion.

All Women are Working Women

The way we view work in our culture is interesting. How we spend the hours of our day defines us. We meet new people and ask, “What do you do?” They answer, “I am a ______.” Whatever we put in that blank defines us.

Not only that, but the work we do is valued based on the level of education it requires, how far we’ve advanced in our profession, and how much we earn doing that job. There’s a hierarchy of sorts, making certain kinds of work more important than others.

Since I was in middle school, I knew I wanted to help people. I remember volunteering at our local crisis pregnancy center, helping the director with various tasks and thinking, “I want a job like this one day.” And I worked hard to that end, both in my educational pursuits and in my work in the counseling field.

When my oldest son was born, we decided it would be best for our family that I stay home with him. I had to admit, as much as I believed in that decision, it was equally hard for me. My identity was wrapped up in my work. I struggled with taking on my new role as “stay at home mom.” Even now, when I attend classes and workshops to stay up to date on what is happening in the counseling field, I often stumble through introducing myself to others in the class, as everyone else introduces themselves by the work they do.

But when I think about it, I do a lot of work in my day and I labor hard at what I do. Some of it is mundane repetitive work such as that of maintaining a home: paying bills, sweeping and mopping, washing dishes. Other work involves investing in the minds and hearts of my children through discipleship and homeschooling. As a church member, I serve in discipleship ministry and host a small group in my home. As a seminary student, I learn and study. I serve my denomination in my role as editor and as Regional Adviser on the national women’s ministry team. I also labor in my writing and speaking ministry.

Whether I get paid for it or not, I am a working woman.

Because of the way our society views work, and the value it places on certain kinds of work, it is tempting to do the same in our lives as women. It’s tempting to think that mundane work isn’t important. It’s tempting to think that time spent investing in the heart of another person is wasted time. It’s tempting to think that only income producing work is valuable. But we need to remember that all things done for the glory of God is never wasted. All work that is done for God’s sake is good work, whether anyone sees it or not.

Your efforts to cook a healthy meal for your family is important work. The time you spend mentoring that college student is an eternal and valuable investment. The work you do behind the scenes that no one notices or people take for granted is important work. The job you faithfully go to each day, even though it’s not your dream job, is honoring to the Lord. While your work may not be glamorous or valuable to the world’s eyes, while you may not receive payment for your labors or the pay you receive isn’t much to write home about, it is valuable to the Lord.

All our work is valuable because of the work Christ completed for us. His holy, perfect, and righteous work of obeying the law on our behalf was given to us. “Because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption” (1 Cor. 1:30). His sacrificial work at the cross paid the penalty that we were due. “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Cor. 5:21). Even now, he labors for us before the throne and intercedes for us (see Rom. 8:34).

Jesus’s work reshapes our own work and makes it holy. His work paves the way for all the work that we do—the seen and the unseen, the mundane and the spectacular, the boring and the interesting, the easy and the hard. Because of the work that Christ did for us, all our work is done through him and for him. Because we are united to him by faith, God looks at all our efforts and labors and doesn’t see our failures, mistakes, blunders, and sins, but sees Jesus’s perfect work on our behalf. Jesus’s righteous work for us makes all the work we do valuable. This is good news for working women!

And God promises that our efforts to labor in his name will one day reap a harvest:

For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith. (Gal. 6:8–10)

So whether you work in the home or outside the home, whether your work is exciting and glamorous or boring and mundane, whether you receive pay for your work or not, know that your work is valuable in the sight of God. May we as Christian women labor hard to the glory of God because of the work our Savior has done for us.

*This post is inspired by Sufficient Hope: Gospel Meditations and Prayers for Moms.

Abide in Christ

What tasks do you have set before you today? Perhaps you have to make an important presentation at work, the outcome of which will determine your future in the company. Or maybe you need to spend the day going through your finances to see just how you will pay those past due bills. It may be that you have to reach out to a friend or loved one to have a long and hard conversation you’ve put off for far too long. Whatever you have to face today, where are you placing your hope? What source of strength and help are you drawing from as you face that challenge? Where are you seeking life?

One of my favorite New Testament verses comes from Jesus’s Upper Room Discourse with the disciples on the night before he was betrayed. In John 15: 5, Jesus tells the disciples, “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”

Nothing. Nada. Zero.

Not a single thing.

As believers, we often mentally ascent to this truth, but fail to live it out in our daily lives. Too often, we attempt to face challenges in our own strength and wisdom. We try to create order out of the chaos of our days without considering the One who first spoke everything into existence. We rush headfirst into our problems without stopping to pray. We trust in our own efforts and plans. We look to our own wisdom to guide us rather than the wisdom of Christ.

And we expect to bear fruit all on our own.

But in John 15, Jesus tells us that there is nothing in us that can produce good fruit. We are incapable of doing any good apart from our union with Christ. As Ephesians 2 tells us, we were once dead in our trespasses and sins; dead people can’t do anything. We need to be brought back to life. The Spirit breathed in us the breath of life so we could respond to Christ by faith and receive forgiveness of our sins. Now we are united to him. All that he has done is ours. All that he has is ours. All that he is has now become ours.

This metaphor of the vine and branches speaks to this union. Christ is the vine out of which we receive all nourishment. He is the source and wellspring of our strength. He is wisdom incarnate. As John Calvin wrote, “But Christ dwells principally on this, that the vital sap -- that is, all life and strength -- proceeds from himself alone. Hence it follows, that the nature of man is unfruitful and destitute of everything good; because no man has the nature of a vine, till he be implanted in him. But this is given to the elect alone by special grace. So then, the Father is the first Author of all blessings, who plants us with his hand; but the commencement of life is in Christ, since we begin to take root in him. When he calls himself the true vine the meaning is, I am truly the vine, and therefore men toil to no purpose in seeking strength anywhere else, for from none will useful fruit proceed but from the branches which shall be produced by me.”

And so we must abide in Christ. We must depend upon him for all things. We must draw our resources from him. We must rest in Christ’s perfect life and sacrificial death alone to save us, not in anything we have done. We must commune with him through his word, prayer, worship, and the sacraments. We must look to him for wisdom.

Then we will bear fruit.

When we find ourselves facing a challenge or difficulty in our day, or even experiencing the blessings of God’s hand, we have to remind ourselves that all is of grace. Apart from our union with Christ, we can do nothing. The more we remember and live out this truth, the more we’ll see evidence of his fruit-bearing work in our lives.