In the dark moments of suffering, we can easily be tempted to doubt God’s grace. Is God gracious if I’m dealing with so much hardship? How can this be His favor toward me?
Let’s think about God’s grace to us as we suffer. Let’s battle the accuser’s lies with truth as we praise our “God of all grace” (1 Pet. 5:10).
Be gracious to me, my gracious Lord
The LORD is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love (Ps. 145:8 ESV).
Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; our God is merciful (Ps. 116:5 ESV).
Your saving grace is mine, Lord
Not only is God always gracious, but He also gave us unmerited, undeserved favor or grace. Let’s remember who we are! We are His beloved children, in Christ, because of His saving grace (Eph. 4:7). It’s His gift because there’s nothing we did to earn it (Rom. 3:24; 5:15, 20). He lavished the riches of His grace upon His adopted children, “redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses” (Eph. 1:7).
Amazing grace! – how sweet the sound –
that saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found,
was blind, but now I see.
So, how does this apply to a suffering believer? Does our earthly suffering somehow mean our faith isn’t “strong enough” for His grace or favor? That His grace seemed to be in the past, and it’s gone now that we’re suffering?
No, because it’s God’s unmerited and undeserved gift, there’s nothing we can do to earn our salvation…or lose it when we feel weak in faith because we’re suffering. This is why it’s His grace!
‘Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
and grace my fears relieved;
how precious did that grace appear
the hour I first believed!
Your perfecting grace is mine right now, Lord
Who gave us initial faith, according to Eph. 2? So who is now perfecting our faith in this time of suffering, beloved? Our faith itself is a gift of God’s grace…past, present, and future.
Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God (Heb. 12:2 ESV, emphasis mine).
So, by His gift of grace, He strengthens us as we suffer, as He always has in past trials (2 Tim. 2:1).
Can’t we all sing this as we look back to those times? Remember?
Thro’ many dangers, toils and snares,
I have already come;
’tis grace has brought me safe thus far,
and grace will lead me home.
For me, it’s tangible on these hard days. The more I need God’s strengthening help, the more abundant grace He provides. The more frightened or sad I feel, the more loving favor He gives me.
What if He chooses not to heal my body physically?
What if my body progresses to the point of entirely disabled weakness?
How will I even make it through today?
Our gracious God tenderly and continually answers…with His grace so undeserved by this weary “sinner saved by grace.”
“God is able to make all grace abound toward you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work” (2 Cor. 9:8 ESV, emphasis added).
Through His typical means of grace, God has been calming me into resting in His sufficient grace…for whatever might happen. He provides Scriptural answers to desperate prayers, uses worship, and uses the frequent remembrances of what Jesus has done for me at the cross.
The Lord has promised good to me,
his Word my hope secures;
he will my shield and portion be,
as long as life endures.
Your amazing grace will lead me home, Lord
By His gift of grace, we have entirely assured hope for our future because God is the one who will bring us into His eternal presence. This is extraordinary comfort to my suffering heart. No matter what happens, my earthly suffering is in the hands of my God of all grace. He is at work, all the way to His glorious end.
And when this flesh and heart shall fail,
and mortal life shall cease,
I shall possess within the veil
a life of joy and peace.
For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age,
waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,
who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness
and to purify for himself a people for his own possession
who are zealous for good works (Ti. 2:11-14 ESV).
Material adapted from Near to God: A Devotional Bible Study of God’s Character in Our Suffering, Lauri A. Hogle. Copyright © 2022, Singing Christ’s Hope.
Singing the sweet sound of God’s amazing grace
When we’ve been there ten thousand years,
bright shining as the sun,
we’ve no less days to sing God’s praise
than when we’ve first begun.
(“Amazing Grace,” Newton, J., 1779)
My heart needs to remember that God is giving me His abundantly sufficient grace, in each moment of suffering, and that this grace will always be mine because of what Jesus has done on my behalf. Singing about God’s grace to me helps me remember His grace, and it is His grace-filled gift of strength and endurance when I’m having continually hard days.
Singing of God’s grace helps me cling to His grace when I think I can’t go on.
So I’ve professionally curated a YouTube playlist that helps me (and you) praise God for His grace. It’s a battle playlist! It’s refusing to believe the lies that God’s grace is not sufficient for what we’re going through or that His grace is not enough to bring us into our eternal home with Him. If you’d like to join me in the battle by singing praise to our God of grace, I’d love to share this playlist with you! Sister in Christ, just sign up here, and it will come to your email as my gift.
