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Grace takes you from where you are to where God wants you to be, which is, in the center of His will for your life. It is in the unforced rhythm of grace that you can move forward, towards it, as- The Lord longs to be gracious to you; He will rise up to show you compassion, For the Lord is a God of justice, Blessed are all those who wait for Him. [Isaiah 30:18] The promise of God above, that comes to you this month, to be upon you for every day of your life henceforth, can be expressed in three beautiful and powerful thoughts that can touch the very core of your being. It is a] the grace of God, b] the compassion of God, and c] the justice of God. It will see you accomplishing His vision for your life, in His mighty power, to be a display of His splendor, a journey of transformation to be in the likeness of the Son of God, reflecting His glorious beauty in union with Him. The Lord is going ahead, and is with you making the crooked straight and the rough places level in every aspect of your life, so that His good and perfect will may be accomplished, and His Kingdom reigns in your life as a child of God, bringing healing and clarity, wisdom and strength that you may in repentance and rest find salvation, which is the sum total of all the blessings of God.
And, how is it so?
a] As a gracious God, He longs to do good to you. b] In rising up to show you compassion, He does more than showing sympathy or empathy to you in your circumstance, though they are both admirable in their own strength. But the God of compassion, expresses it in your life, by eliminating the reason for your painful circumstance that could have brought you to tears even now. In saying, ‘Do not weep’, to the widow of Nain, He raised her dead son back to life, He turned her sorrow and lament to overwhelming joy. c] And He does what is just and right for you, for He knows what you need, as no one else does, maybe even you yourself! It may not seem outwardly fair sometimes, as it must have appeared in the parable , where the master’s distribution of talents to his servants, might have seemed unfair or unequal. But as seen in the unfolding of the parable that the Lord teaches, it certainly was not so. He is a God of justice. And in waiting for such a Lord you are blessed indeed!
HE longs to be gracious to you-
God is waiting to do good to you. And it could be because you have not yet turned to Him to find your answer in the overwhelming sufficiency of His grace. And in your time of temporary lack or need you could have taken the wrong path, by leaning on your own understanding, instead of turning to His word and His counsel. It is what the Israelites did, in turning to Egypt, to find themselves in bondage. [Isaiah 30:1] But the Lord was waiting for them to turn to Him, to do good to them, knowing fully well that it was the result of their own wrongdoing. Egypt, in your life and mine, describes the world system that even in our lives can seem to be the answer in our lack, to lure us into captivity. And today, if you find yourself entrapped in the clutches of the enemy, and unable to extricate yourself, you have a loving God and Father, who is waiting to show you His grace in doing good to you. All you need to do is to turn to Him, in the realization of knowing that it is He who can be your help and sustenance. And He never gives up on you, as it is written in His word – ‘How can I give you up, O Ephraim, How can I hand you over, O Israel?.. My heart recoils within Me; My compassion grows warm and tender;.. I am God, and not a man; I am the Holy One in your midst; And I will not come in wrath’. [Hosea 11:8,9] His wondrous promise of love and compassion towards you, comes to you in your time of confusion and chaos , and even as you turn to Him you will see that He will never turn His back on you, but is your ever present help in trouble.
Grace experienced -in repentance and rest:
Your responsibility lies in making Him your first port of call in your time of need. It is when theological thinking, according to the promise of His word, needs to take precedence in you over logical thinking of the world system. God has good plans for you. [Jeremiah 29:11] And He is waiting. For it is when you turn to Him in repentance from the wrong decisions you may have made that could have led you to needless despair and disappointment that He can make them known to you. It is in repentance and the rest that comes as a fruit of it that you find salvation or deliverance. Rest comes as in repentance you turn to Him, to take His yoke upon you, learning from Him to find rest in your soul. It is the open ended invitation of the Lord to anyone who is weary and burdened. [Matthew 11:22] Rest becomes your experience as you begin to know that you can cast all your care on Him, for He cares for you. And even as Hannah did, to pour out her heart to God it is in calling unto Him, that you cast your cares unto Him, and He answers you. Hannah’s face was no longer sad, for she knew that God had heard her cry and answered to grant her plea. It is the confidence that can be yours too, for He has said, ‘ask and it will be given’. It could take time. But when you believe that you have received what you have asked for, and it will be yours. It is the Lord’s unequivocal promise in His word. [Mark 11:24]
Rest – the proof of your trust:
Repentance that is followed by a renewal of your mind by the truth of God’s word leads to a rest in you, knowing that He is a God who gives, and is waiting to give to you. Therefore even if the answer does not come immediately, in the midst of your problem you can experience peace that drives away all restlessness. And you can rejoice in knowing that He is reigning in your situation, as in quietness and confidence you find your strength. Trusting – resting – rejoicing reigning is the unforced rhythm of grace in which you are led step by step by the God who longs to be gracious to you. The journey of Abraham towards experiencing the promise of the blessing of God that he may be a blessing testifies to it in the scriptures. ‘Come to Me’, the Lord says even to you, that He may teach you his paths that are right. He is a God of justice who always does what is right and good in your life. He has already defeated satan on the Cross. Soon and very soon, and the God of peace will soon crush satan under your feet. [Romans 16:20] Rejoice, for there is wonderful joy ahead, even as you turn back to Him, from a wrong decision, a wrong direction that may have entangled you. And, you will weep no more – People of Zion, who live in Jerusalem, You shall weep no more; How gracious will He be, when you cry for help; As soon as He hears you He will answer you. [Isaiah 30:19] It is His wondrous promise, and the God of justice will never fail you. He will speak to you in a manner that you can understand to restore you to His original intended purpose for you. He will mend your brokenness, as by His stripes you are healed. He is longing to show you His grace. As a child of God, you are blessed, for you have a just God, who shows compassion to lift you up in your circumstance. And as you bow in worship and surrender unto the loving Father, in willing submission, and overflowing thankfulness, for His will to be done in your life, in His strength and power, may all things be made new and beautiful, as you are led to where He wants you be, in His unforced rhythms of grace. In the Name of Christ Jesus Amen.
