2Cor. 9:8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.
Listen to the language of grace, listen to the words surrounding it: “all…abound…all things…all times…all you need…good…” This is the language of indescribable truth.
Grace is a challenge to define. A word so magnificent should be a challenge to define. We use this one simple, short word to describe the glide of a dignified woman across the dance floor. We use it to describe praying over a meal—and yet it’s the word God uses to describe His indescribable and unfathomable love for sinners like you and me. How can we discover what grace means? Well, the problem with simple definitions is that we burp them out and then move on. Grace deserves more than that. Grace deserves study and thought, reflection and appreciation. Grace requires that we ask God to open our ears so that we can hear what He’s saying to us.
It’s amazing what you can hear if you try to listen. This morning I had my quiet time with the Lord on the back porch of Tammy's mom's house in Tucson, Arizona. There on the edge of the desert I heard the mournful cooing of doves and other birds chiming in as the sun rose over the desert. I was surprised to hear an owl. I closed my eyes and listened, asking the Lord to help me hear. Then I heard the faint sound of coyote pups whining for their mother to feed them. Soon they were silent, since apparently she also heard them.
Yes, it’s amazing what you can hear if you try to listen. But our spiritual hearing depends on the power of God. We need His grace, His supernatural help, to hear what He is saying in our pain, our sorrow, and our struggles. Grace is truly amazing. It saves us, heals us, helps us, guides us. It’s the power of God to come to the aid of those who trust in Him. Grace transforms our eternal destiny and gives us the ability to take the next step of doing what is right when wrong seems easier and more desirable. Grace is enough for whatever you’re facing today.
As we launch into a study of the book of Ephesians, let us ask for grace to hear and understand the magnitude of His grace in our lives. May we become people of grace. Dependent upon His grace and givers of grace to those around us.
1Pet. 5:10 — And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.
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