WATCHWORD:
After you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you after you have suffered a little while, the god of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. 1 Peter 5:10
Meditation:
God of All Grace
How do you view God? Is he the God that is always there? Is he the God that never leaves you? Is he the God that leads you by his strong right hand? In other words, is he the God of the here and now and forever? I wonder if we spend so much of our time with God, concentrating on the grace of eternal life in our worship, through scripture readings, communion, and offering prayers, while we ignore the frequent moments of our every day life, filled with his touches and grace that floats to us through our faith in Jesus Christ?
Maybe, in order for us to fully understand the small, unseen graces, often overshadowed by the large easily seen gifts that are right there before us, when our spiritual eyes, and mind is focused on the fullness of our Lord and Savior. Do we live like we are grateful for the little things that happen in our lives that we chalk up to coincidence or luck, when in reality they are more of the graces that God has bestowed upon us, unworthy as we are.
How do we understand that grace is prepared for us even before we were born and maybe even before the world was created? How do I fully understand a God that has called us to himself not by our works but when we live our lives according to his own purpose and will? Which raises the question; how have you determined what your calling is, what elements of grace in your life should be reflected in the way you live your life?
I think about Laura Story’s praise song, Blessings, which asks the question “What if trials of this life are your mercies in disguise?” Which, in turn, poses another question, how is the pattern of our lives God’s training ground to prepare us for whatever is coming in the next moment, the next week, the next year of our lives? We are tasked to make our way through the difficulties of our lives, learning things that we really did not want to learn, but those are really graces that shape us into God’a own image.
Gods graces not only carries us into eternal life, a future orientation, but also prepares us, matures us, and strengthens us to meet today’s challenges, sorrows, and pains that you may face today while, at the same, time preparing you for eternal glory in Christ Jesus. Amen.
Blessings:
We pray for blessings, we pray for peace, comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity. We pray for your mighty hand to ease our suffering.
But all the while you hear each spoken need yet love is way too much to give us lesser things
Cause what if your blessings come through raindrops? What if your healing comes through tears?
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know you’re near?
What if trials of this life are your mercies in disguise?
(Laura Story)
Closing Prayer:
Mighty and all loving God, my heart is filled with hope and joy even when I think how poorly I have lived my life, because you keep coming to me with your graces, healings, and forgiveness. I may have gone astray, Lord, but you keep bringing me back into your fold, Good Shepherd. Thanks to you, I live. Amen.
