All Sufficient Grace

I’m discovering that my greatest assets are weakness, inadequacy, failures, and helplessness, because when I am all these things I cry out to the Lord for His strength and help. When I’m humbled and on my knees that’s when He can raise me up. This is when He draws near and answers my heart’s cry.

When I’m in the place of difficulty or insolvable problems, in deep trouble or between a rock and a hard place, battling fear or sickness, this very vulnerability causes me to call out from the depths for the Lord to reach down and touch me, showing me the way out, pouring His grace upon me and saving me.

It’s like the drowning man who’s struggling so much the lifeguard has to disarm him in order to save him. Once he gives up the struggle he’s able to be saved. I need to give up being strong, independent, self sufficient, skilful and powerful and let His grace be all sufficient for me. As the Living Bible puts it; ‘My power shows up best in weak people’.

I’ve found that the greatest blessings have come into my life when I’ve been in the deepest trouble, or the lowest place. Jesus comes to us when we find ourselves in the hardest places, or even in a pit! His grace is like water, because it always reaches the lowest place. He waits to hear the cry of our hearts and is ready to gather us up in His arms.

This is why there’s such a song of joy in our hearts when He lifts us up. ‘He who has been forgiven much – loves much’ (Luke 7:47). He can take us from the rubbish dump and set us among princes. He can take a sinful heart, stained like crimson, and make it as white as wool. He can take the sorrow of mourning and turn it into joyful praise. His grace can change us on the inside.

In his infinite wisdom God can turn things upside down, and what we think is a hopeless situation can turn out to be an immeasurable blessing. When we think that we’re dying inside we discover we’re beginning to live, for God’s amazing grace is there to help us in our times of need.

‘Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong’ (2 Corinthians 12:10).

Prayer: Lord, we give You all praise and glory for the way You change our lives and restore us in Your amazing way. May we learn to totally depend on You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.