The Amazing Grace of God

“Amazing grace, how sweet the sound”, who of us are not familiar with those words? It’s arguably the most well known Christian hymn and for good reason. Last night a Christian sister posted a story about it on my Facebook page. Tuesday nights at our church is the night our Celebrate Recovery group meets and for those unfamiliar with CR it is the Christian equivalent of things like Alcoholics Anonymous except its doors are open to anyone who is seeking to recover from all the various things that weigh us down in life. Last night at our church friends and family of a dear Christian sister who passed away from cancer were gathering in a memorial service in her honor. My friend told me that as the CR group was singing the hymn Amazing Grace she had to step out for a moment. As she passed by the memorial service being held in the sanctuary she heard them singing Amazing Grace as well, as if the two groups had planned to sing in unison. They had not.

You see there are no accidents. Things are not spinning out of control on this earth in spite of the events that lead us to feel so. The Bible is clear; God is sovereign. He has not abandoned us to walk out the days of our lives in fear or in worry. In Acts 17:26 we read that God has determined our appointed places and times. That those two groups were both singing in unison was no coincidence last night. That my friend posted to me that this occurred has a purpose. That the song was Amazing Grace is by design: God’s design.

Often we when we think of the amazing grace of God we stop short at our salvation. And yes, it is amazing that God would show us that grace, the grace of forgiveness of our sins as He provided through His one and only son, Jesus, who paid the penalty we deserve. But God’s grace, His amazing grace, does so much more than give us the hope of eternal life. His grace allows us to live the abundant life Jesus spoke of in John 10:10.

Last night at that Celebrate Recovery meeting were people from all walks of life, each with different stories. Some suffer from addictions to drugs and alcohol; addictions that probably should have killed them by now. Addictions that brought pain and suffering to not only themselves, but also to their loved ones. These addictions haunt them everyday as they call out their name and try to draw them back to the darkness they’ve tried so hard to escape. But God’s amazing grace gives them the strength to say no. Some were there because someone in their own life abused them. It doesn’t matter if the abuse is physical, sexual, or even emotional. The scars of those wounds run deep and left untreated they bring bitterness, shame, and guilt; even when it was the actions of someone else. It is God’s amazing grace that has given them the strength to go on and to not only understand it wasn’t even their fault, but God’s amazing grace has allowed them to forgive those who hurt them. There were probably some at that meeting who were the abusers. They also live in a world of sorrow and guilt and shame. Yet God’s amazing grace has allowed them to BE forgiven and to find a restored life.

Then just in the other room were people gathered who mourned. Some maybe felt fear, fear of what the future holds now that their mother is gone. It’s easy to feel guilt when losing a loved one as you ponder the mistakes of the past and wonder if they knew you loved them. But God’s amazing grace also provides the comfort to move forward and to learn from the past without letting it consume you. Other’s in that room may have simply been filled with sorrow. Yet because they can sing of God’s amazing grace they remember that as Christians we do not mourn as the world does. No, because of God’s amazing grace they rejoice in the truth that our beloved sister is in in the arms of Jesus and shall never again know pain or sorrow.

God’s grace is amazing. Whatever you face if you will turn to God and let Him into your life, His amazing grace will empower you to conquer the evils of the day and to bear up under the weight of the pain of life. Jesus has promised to never leave us. He even sent His Holy Spirit to dwell within us to guide us, to teach us, and to comfort us. This is God’s amazing grace.

You see God’s amazing grace is sufficient to provide all we need in this life and in the eternal one. Nowhere does the Bible say we won’t face troubles. Because we live in a broken world in which each and every one of us is a sinner, there will be sickness, death, and all other types of difficulty to face until Jesus returns. But God has not deserted us. The Apostle Paul prayed three times to have the thorn in his side removed. But listen to the answer to his prayer from 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, “But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.  For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

God’s grace is amazing. God’s grace is sufficient. God’s grace is what gives us the strength to go on even in our weakness. Amazing. Whatever you face, wherever you are today, God wants to give you His grace, His amazing grace.

Won’t you sing of it now?

Amazing grace, How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost, but now I am found,
Was blind, but now I see.

'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears relieved.
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed.

Through many dangers, toils and snares
I have already come,
'Tis grace has brought me safe thus far
And grace will lead me home.

The Lord has promised good to me
His word my hope secures;
He will my shield and portion be,
As long as life endures.

Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
And mortal life shall cease
I shall possess within the veil,
A life of joy and peace.

When we've been there ten thousand years
Bright shining as the sun,
We've no less days to sing God's praise
Than when we've first begun.