Friends,
This morning I share one of my recent porch moments with you. I wrote this over a week ago. It was one of those moments of epiphany. Yet, as I prepared to send the message this morning, I read through it one more time. To my surprise, the words were exactly what I needed to hear this morning, speaking directly to my heart. That, my friends, is Grace.
Hope you can get out and enjoy some sunshine today! It is good for the soul.
BODY & SOUL
The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. – Psalm 19:1-2 (NIV)
It is a chilly Spring morning. Rocking in my glider on the front porch, I watch the world wake up. The birds are fluttering in the trees, dashing from one branch to another, singing their morning songs. It is a cacophony of joyful sounds.
The faint glow on the horizon reveals the smoky gray of a sky covered in thick puffy clouds. With a note of disappointment, I conclude that there will be no pleasant sunny rays to warm my bones this morning as I rock upon my morning perch.
As if to defy the gloomy gray of the dawning sky, the birds enhance their volume. My fluttering friends are ready for a new day. Sunny or cloudy, it does not seem to squelch their enthusiasm. I smile and wish I was so easy going. I much prefer sunshine.
As if reading my thoughts, the sky offers a surprise. The puffy clouds begin to part, as if to make way for a grand entrance. On cue, with a dramatic flourish, the sun makes its debut, golden rays spilling out from behind the dark curtain of gray clouds. The dawn is transformed. The gloom of a few moments before gives way to splendid sunshine that fills the porch with a radiant glow.
As I sit there smiling, sunshine warming my face, I am reminded of God’s grace. The drama of that dawning sky offers a testimony to God’s great grace.
How many days do we awaken to the gloominess of our problems? We live in uncertain times. Our lives are filled with hardships, with sickness, with sorrow. We awake to the dark puffy clouds of our troubles. We cannot seem to escape the gloom hovering over our heads.
Just when we feel like giving up, when our hearts are broken, our resolve shattered, God’s grace shows up. Grace shows up in the smile of a toddler, in the bloom of a flower, in the words of a friend. Comfort is given. Reassurance calms fears. Hope is renewed. Sunshine peeks out from behind the clouds. Our troubled life is transformed by the touch of the Master’s hand.
God’s grace is all around us. It’s in the flowers, in the trees. It’s in the birdsong. It’s in the people He puts in our path.
His grace finds us wherever we are. We may be soaring high in the sky and His joy soars with us. We may be dwelling in the depths of despair and His comfort envelops. Wherever we are, whatever we face, His grace prevails.
Let the sunrise remind you of His grace. Let the birds’ merriment bring a smile to your face. For we are loved. We are forgiven. We are not alone.
Though the dark clouds loom above us, they will not last forever. God will face the hardships with us and when we least expect it, He will bring the sunshine once again.
In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun. It is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, like a champion rejoicing to run his course. It rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other; nothing is deprived of its warmth. – Psalm 19:4b-6 (NIV)
PRAYER
O Heavenly Father, we give You praise for the beauty of Your creation. Your glory is proclaimed in the golden rays of the sunrise, in the gentle breeze that stirs the leaves, in the morning birdsong. Your grace is with us wherever we go, whatever awaits us. It is sufficient. It is unfailing. Your grace renews us when we lose heart, when we face trouble. Your grace restores us, renews us, gives us hope. We are so grateful for Your grace.
In the Glorious Name of Jesus, we pray,
Amen
Easter Blessings,
Anita
Faith Beyond Sight 