Don’t hunt trouble. Sooner or later you’ll always find more than you want.”
–Louis L’Amour (To Tame a Land)
“The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved!”
“The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved!”
–Jeremiah 8:20(NKJV)
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Grace is so much more than we can imagine. It is “wonderful” going back to the literal meaning of that word–awesome, beyond understanding, mysterious and unique. Grace is more than salvation; it is more than imputed righteousness. The old theologian, J.C. Ryles says that, “Grace is stronger than circumstances.” Psalm 116, gives us an idea of the grace that God bestows upon us.
1 — I love the LORD, because He has heard my voice and my supplications.
2 — Because He has inclined His ear to me, therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live.
3 — The pains of death surrounded me, and the pangs of Sheol laid hold of me; I found trouble and sorrow.
4 — Then I called upon the name of the LORD: “O LORD, I implore You, deliver my soul!”
5 — Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; yes, our God is merciful.
6 — The LORD preserves the simple; I was brought low, and He saved me.
7 — Return to your rest, O my soul, for the LORD has dealt bountifully with you.
8 — For You have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, and my feet from falling.
9 — I will walk before the LORD in the land of the living. (NKJV)
I enjoy the story told by George O. Wood. He spoke of a little girl who asked her Sunday School teacher why Jesus first told His disciple to “watch and pray,” but the last time He told them to “sleep on, and take your rest.” The teacher did not respond, trying to come up with some wise answer for the child. The little girl spoke again, “I think I know. It was because Jesus had seen the face of His Father and He didn’t need their help anymore.”
Remember the words of Jesus when He spoke, “for without Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5, NKJV). We can do nothing without Him. Now this is mostly regarding spiritual, eternal things, but think again. Without Him we could not breathe, or walk, or think, for He is the sustainer. Yes, it is His grace that sustains us. I am reminded of the song by Mylon Lefevre,
“Without Him, I could do nothing; Without Him, I’d surely fail;
Without Him, I would be drifting, like a ship without a sail…
Without Him, I would be dying; Without Him, I’d be enslaved;
Without Him, life would be hopeless but with Jesus, thank God, I’m saved.”
This is the central theme of Psalm 116–the all sufficient grace of God. This helps us in our weakness, and oh, we are weak, no doubt about it. Even when we think we are strong in reality, compared to Christ, we are weak. God hears our prayers, He sees our needs, and He provides grace when and where and how much is needed. We need to be like the Psalmist, “I will pray as long as I have breath!”. (vs 2, NLT)
If you have ever done much fishing, you have probably encountered and fouled up line, all tangled and knotted. This is the picture of verse 3, the NIV states, “The cords of death entangled me…” Sometimes we get so tangled up in our problems that there seems to be no solution, frustration sets in and like the angered fisherman we want to simply cut the line and start over. Ah, but then the grace of God is there. He sees the problem and begins to work. At times it may be instantaneous, a miracle so to speak; at other times He works by untangling and untying the knots one at a time. Death may even have been the culprit, but God in His mercy and grace took charge.
Look at the rest of this portion of the Psalm. The Lord is gracious to His own and will do what is right. His compassion is there, and the NLT renders it, “How kind the LORD is! How good he is! So merciful, this God of ours!” (vs 5) He guards our steps, and saves us in our need. Because He is there, and we can trust Him, we can be at rest. Because of the Lord’s goodness we can rest in peace and security. He rescues us when He sees that we are on a slippery slope or a rocky course. Now, what is the result? What are we to do? We are to walk in His presence with uprightness. The Psalmist purposes that he will walk before the Lord; that means in obedience, a life that would honor God.
“I love the Lord; he bowed his ear,
And chased my grief away!
O let my heart no more despair,
While I have breath to pray.”
–Isaac Watts
———————————–
Grace is so much more than we can imagine. It is “wonderful” going back to the literal meaning of that word–awesome, beyond understanding, mysterious and unique. Grace is more than salvation; it is more than imputed righteousness. The old theologian, J.C. Ryles says that, “Grace is stronger than circumstances.” Psalm 116, gives us an idea of the grace that God bestows upon us.
1 — I love the LORD, because He has heard my voice and my supplications.
2 — Because He has inclined His ear to me, therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live.
3 — The pains of death surrounded me, and the pangs of Sheol laid hold of me; I found trouble and sorrow.
4 — Then I called upon the name of the LORD: “O LORD, I implore You, deliver my soul!”
5 — Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; yes, our God is merciful.
6 — The LORD preserves the simple; I was brought low, and He saved me.
7 — Return to your rest, O my soul, for the LORD has dealt bountifully with you.
8 — For You have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, and my feet from falling.
9 — I will walk before the LORD in the land of the living. (NKJV)
I enjoy the story told by George O. Wood. He spoke of a little girl who asked her Sunday School teacher why Jesus first told His disciple to “watch and pray,” but the last time He told them to “sleep on, and take your rest.” The teacher did not respond, trying to come up with some wise answer for the child. The little girl spoke again, “I think I know. It was because Jesus had seen the face of His Father and He didn’t need their help anymore.”
Remember the words of Jesus when He spoke, “for without Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5, NKJV). We can do nothing without Him. Now this is mostly regarding spiritual, eternal things, but think again. Without Him we could not breathe, or walk, or think, for He is the sustainer. Yes, it is His grace that sustains us. I am reminded of the song by Mylon Lefevre,
“Without Him, I could do nothing; Without Him, I’d surely fail;
Without Him, I would be drifting, like a ship without a sail…
Without Him, I would be dying; Without Him, I’d be enslaved;
Without Him, life would be hopeless but with Jesus, thank God, I’m saved.”
This is the central theme of Psalm 116–the all sufficient grace of God. This helps us in our weakness, and oh, we are weak, no doubt about it. Even when we think we are strong in reality, compared to Christ, we are weak. God hears our prayers, He sees our needs, and He provides grace when and where and how much is needed. We need to be like the Psalmist, “I will pray as long as I have breath!”. (vs 2, NLT)
If you have ever done much fishing, you have probably encountered and fouled up line, all tangled and knotted. This is the picture of verse 3, the NIV states, “The cords of death entangled me…” Sometimes we get so tangled up in our problems that there seems to be no solution, frustration sets in and like the angered fisherman we want to simply cut the line and start over. Ah, but then the grace of God is there. He sees the problem and begins to work. At times it may be instantaneous, a miracle so to speak; at other times He works by untangling and untying the knots one at a time. Death may even have been the culprit, but God in His mercy and grace took charge.
Look at the rest of this portion of the Psalm. The Lord is gracious to His own and will do what is right. His compassion is there, and the NLT renders it, “How kind the LORD is! How good he is! So merciful, this God of ours!” (vs 5) He guards our steps, and saves us in our need. Because He is there, and we can trust Him, we can be at rest. Because of the Lord’s goodness we can rest in peace and security. He rescues us when He sees that we are on a slippery slope or a rocky course. Now, what is the result? What are we to do? We are to walk in His presence with uprightness. The Psalmist purposes that he will walk before the Lord; that means in obedience, a life that would honor God.
“I love the Lord; he bowed his ear,
And chased my grief away!
O let my heart no more despair,
While I have breath to pray.”
–Isaac Watts