Sufficient and Sustaining Grace os Yours

Sufficient and Sustaining Grace is Yours

 

God promises so much to us - His children. He has so many priceless gifts He wants to give us! He not only gives us grace – the saving grace- to believe in Him and receive salvation.  But He also gives us the sustaining grace - or the help - to live our lives and do our jobs, raise our children and pay our bills.  And grace to follow Him and do good works in His Name.

 

We call it “sustaining grace” because it sustains us or keeps us going through good times and bad.  And it meets us at our point of need and equips us with courage, wisdom and strength.  Even when we go through terrible loss, sickness, persecution and death, God’s grace will be with us and bring us through and over to victory. (Revelation 21-22)

 

The Bible describes God’s sustaining grace for us this way: “And God is able to make all grace abound toward you.  That you always having sufficiency in all things may have an abundance for every good work.”  (2 Corinthians 9:8) And also: “God who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also, along with Him, freely give us all things!”  ((Romans 8:32) 

 

A famous pastor and author, Max Lucado defines sustaining grace as: “God’s tumbling, rumbling, reservoir of strength and protection for you.”  God gives us “grace upon grace.”  (John 1:16) It’s so much more abundant than we can ever imagine.  We are so used to living in this fallen world where there is disease, trouble, wars and hatreds that we become anxious and fearful.

 

 But let God’s amazing grace take away your fears and anxieties.  Learn to rest in God’s abundant grace.  Scripture says: “Be anxious in nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, make your requests known unto God, and the peace of God which passes understanding will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6) In other words, every time you start to become fearful, or anxious, stop and pray and ask for grace for the problem and then let God dethrone your fears.   

 

 

 

We may take God’s sustaining grace for granted and think that good things just happen to us by accident. But Scripture says that: “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above and comes down from the Father.” (James 1:17) Let’s open our eyes and start recognizing at least some of the ways that God is blessing and protecting us and our families.

 

God has mountains of grace stored up for us, but I fear we may not receive all that He has for us because we don’t open our hearts through faith to receive these blessings.  Faith is the channel through which we receive God’s grace – His blessings - to meet our needs.  Scripture is filled with God’s amazing promises for His children.  And we can stand on these promises (or believe them) when we need them.  Over and over again through the Bible, God calls on His children to ask for help and call upon Him to take care of our needs.

 

And it is really simple.  When we have a problem or a concern we can just stop and pray: “Father, please give me grace.”  Then believe that God has heard your prayer and is giving you His grace and working out your situation. Keep on believing and trusting God to do what you can’t do and to take care of your problem.  Do what you can through God’s help to take care of your problem. And then stop worrying and keep looking to God. 

 

We read in Genesis 32:22 of Jacob wrestling with God all night on a mountain.  Jacob desperately wanted more of God and He wanted God’s grace and blessing in his life. As they wrestled, the “Man” injured Jacob’s hip.  Then at dawn the “Man” (either an angel or the Spirit of God) told Jacob; “Let me go, for the day breaks.”  But Jacob answered: “I will not let you go unless You bless me!”  (Genesis 32:26) Jacob was determined to have more of God in His life.

 

The “Man” told Jacob that his name would no longer be “Jacob”, which means “deceiver”, but now Jacob’s name would be “Israel” which means “He strives with God” or “Prince of God”.  Then God blessed Jacob (Israel). God’s power and blessing flowed through Jacob to his children and grandchildren and now, thousands of years later God’s blessings are still spilling over onto Jacob’s descendants (Israel)

 

God calls us to be like Jacob and run after Him and His will and blessings in our lives.  To believe Him when He promises us His victory.  And when the Spirit moves us, to wrestle in prayer for His answers.  Our heavenly Father has sufficient grace for our every need, stored up for us, but we need to ask and trust that the answer is on its way. 

 

 

 

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