Grace, Grace, God's Grace

I love the words and tune of the hymn Grace Greater Than Our Sin (Johnston, 1910). It has such a great cadence, and those that learned it as a child can probably hum its chorus in their head from memory:
Grace, grace, God’s grace,
Grace that will pardon and cleanse within;
Grace, grace, God’s grace,
Grace that is greater than all our sin! 

When I think of God’s grace, my mind goes back to my salvation and how His grace covers me. While my own deeds would never be able to pay the price of my sin, Jesus’ redemptive power and His blood shed on the cross can and has paid for it. I’m reminded of Christ’s saving grace through the continuous process of sanctification, but now as my walk and relationship deepens, I’m also more aware of how His grace extends to my life in the small details as a child of God. “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:22-23).

He shows grace to us every day, in every part of our lives. A common example for us Tulsans: “The traffic is terrible, I just want to get home. Isn’t this road supposed to be widened already?” You probably have a scenario that is similar to this that you’ve personally experienced. A layoff at work, missed job promotion, difficult neighbor, expensive grocery bill… in these instances, could it have been God’s grace that led you to that moment? What did He protect you from, or what is He teaching you because He loves you? I like the phrase “sometimes God doesn’t give us patience, but opportunities to be patient.” How is He refining you, not as a punishment, but because He is showing you unimaginable grace? We serve a good Father, and He wants the best for us.

I’ve stopped believing in coincidence the more I’m involved in ministry. While a fallen world will always breed tragedies and sin of every kind, our God’s grace is plentiful and freely given – even in the most unsuspecting ways.