Blown away by God’s grace……!


I would like to share one of my favourite passages of scripture.  It speaks about God’s kindness and grace…. In your own time you can read the whole chapter because it is powerful but I will touch on a few verses that touch me the most:

Some sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, being bound in affliction and in irons, 

Because they had rebelled against the words of God and spurned the most High. 

Therefore He bowed down their hearts with hard labor; they stumbled and fell down, and there was none to help.

Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and He saved them out of their distresses. 

He brought them out of the darkness and the shadow of death and broke apart the bonds that held them. Psalm 107:10-14

I understand as humans we sin. We get ourselves into trouble by making really bad decisions. We all make mistakes.

The people in the passage I just shared got themselves into trouble. They made all the wrong decisions. They rebelled against God. They were bound and in chains because they rejected God……

Because of their actions they were abandoned with NO ONE to help! They had no one to turn to but……..

They cried to the Lord!!!!! They cried to the Lord in their trouble and He saved them from their distresses! God had every right to leave them but He didn’t. It doesn’t make sense to the human mind. They were on the wrong, they abandoned God…..but in His grace and love and kindness He heard and answered their prayers!!!! That blows my mind and reminds me how little I know God’s grace!!

And that is the trend we see in the rest of the chapter. We see people getting themselves into trouble and God coming to save them as they cry out to Him! For effect I am going to share another story!

Some are fools [made ill] because of the way of their transgressions and are afflicted because of their iniquities. 

Then they cry to the Lord in their trouble, and He delivers them out of their distresses. 

He sends forth His word and heals them and rescues them from the pit and destruction. Psalm 107:17-20

God loves you and cares for you not because you are perfect. He knows your every mistake but still loves you. He knows every mistake you are still to make, bad decisions you are still to make but He still extends grace to you. He has given you a chance to cry out to Him. That is how good He is……!!!!! He doesn’t give up on you. He is waiting on you to turn to Him! It’s scripture like this that humbles me. I don’t understand the beauty of God’s grace and love but I am thankful for it because without it I would be abandoned and dead! I would be in hell with no hope of rescue!!

The last part of the chapter is so powerful. It talks about men who do their business at sea! I would guess these men are sailors and have great experience and understanding of the sea. They are totally qualified to be out at sea. But something happens out at sea! They encounter a storm!!

[Those aboard] mount up to the heavens, they go down again to the deeps; their courage melts away because of their plight. 

They reel to and fro and stagger like a drunken man and are at their wits end [all their wisdom has come to nothing]. 

Then they cry to the Lord in their trouble, and He brings them out of their distresses. Psalm 107: 26-28

For a while they tried to rely on what they know to get them out of the storm but that didn’t work! How many of us have tried to get ourselves out of trouble? It says “all their wisdom has come to nothing”.

God is so good because even when they tried to solve a situation in their own strength and failed, God by His grace saved them!!!! As I end I would like you to think about His grace! It is so amazing! He wants you to rely on Him, on His grace. He knows you are human and He wants to deliver you. He wants to save you from sin. No matter what you have done, no matter how bad it is, know that He wants to heal you and set you free. He wants to break the chains that have bound you! It is not to late for you……Turn to Him and He will answer you!!!

Whoso is wise [if there be any truly wise] will observe and heed these things; and they will diligently consider the mercy and loving-kindness of the Lord.   Psalm 107:43

Rolain

 

 

When You Are At Your End…..


O Lord, rebuke me not in Your wrath, neither chasten me in Your hot displeasure. 
For your arrows have sunk into me and stick fast, and Your hand has come down upon me and pressed me sorely. Psalm 38:1,2

For my iniquities have gone over my head [like waves of a flood]; as a heavy burden they weigh too much for me. Psalm 38:4

My heart throbs, my strength fails me; as for the light of my eyes, it also is gone from me. Psalm 38:10

My lovers and my friends stand aloof from my plague; and my neighbors and my near ones stand afar off. Psalm 38:11

They also that seek and demand my life lay snares for me, and they that seek and require my hurt speak crafty and mischievous things; they meditate treachery and deceit all the day long. Psalm 38:12

In these verses we see King David at his end. He is in A LOT of trouble! I can relate with him but not to that extreme! I have been in that place where I been at my end, not knowing what do next. At a loss at what the answer is. We all have been there. That is a part of life we cannot ignore. Troubles will come. But this is my question, when you are at your end what will you do? What will you do?
Will you just give up or keep on hanging on? This is King David’s response when he was at his end:

For in You, O Lord, do I hope; You will answer, O Lord my God. Psalm 38:15

King David had hope in God through the trouble that was happening. As he was at his end he looked to God. This was not the last time he would be at his end. There were several times where he thought he was finished but his hope was always in God. People were trying to kill him but his hope was in God!
His sins where to much for him but even in that, his hope was in God!
The people closest to him abandoned him but his hope was in God.

What situations are you facing? Hope in God. When you are at your end hope in God!
King David didn’t say, God might answer him. He said, “You will answer”!!!
We need to have that same confidence. You may be doubting if God will answer you just know, He will answer you!! We are nothing if we don’t have hope and faith in God.
Where would we be without our hope in God? What would we do without faith? Life is not worth living without hope and faith!!

When you are at your end hope in the Lord. When you are at your end, know the Lord will answer your prayers, He will pull you through!!! He will not leave you to die. He loves you too much…..

Rolain