Filling Grace ...

Grace is God's response to the thirsty soul.

I just finished Andy Stanley's Grace of God book.  These last few chapters have been just what I needed in a tough season of loss, uncretainty, decisions, exhaustion and struggle. 

One chapter in particular took a familar story ... that of the woman at the well ... and retold it in pictures I needed.  The grace the Samaritan woman found was "in spite of" grace ... peace and joy in spite of her circumstances and all she faced. 

Andy writes:
The writer of Hebrews refers to it this way: "Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need."  (4:16)  I don't think it's intuitive to pray for grace and mercy in times of need.  We pray for the thing we NEED in our time of need.  We pray for circumstances to change.  We pray for memories to go away.  We pray for people to treat us better.  And so we should.  But none of that is what is promised.  What's promised is grace and mercy in our time of need."

He goes on to compare this to Paul's thorn in the flesh ... you know, that struggle that was not taken away, but was rather, met with grace sufficient for that need.  Life has not been easy lately for me ...  or for so many others I know and love and pray for.  I told one friend last week that I just wanted to cry "uncle" for her because I could not fathom how she could handle one more thing.  But that's the deal with grace.  It's sufficient for our need.  Need.  I suppose if there were no need, there would be no grace.

The grace of God is the life of the Savior coursing through the souls of believers to sustain us through those things that will not or cannot change.  - A.Stanley

In-spite-of grace.  The grace to endure.  I think that's somewhat like the grace Beth Moore calls, "delivery room grace" ... it's not there til you need it.  You think you could never endure what someone else has ... and you know what, we couldn't ... not apart from the in-spite-of grace that God floods into our lives WHEN we need it ... it's not something we get to stockpile ... but rather its like manna and we get only enough for that day.

I wish there was a guaratee that if we prayed hard enough and believed strongly enough that it would insulate us from those circumstances that demand in-spite-of grace for us to make it through.  But I have yet to find evidence for that.  So, tonight as I mull over the decisions that must be made ... as I dream of an easier life ... as I long for some circumstances to change, as I pray for dear friends whose needs are much deeper than mine, I realize I cannot, but He can.  And whether its the grace to make it ... or the answers we long for, the grace is always sufficient for the NEED ... the NEED that drives us to Him in the first place.