Grace! Grace!

So we’re not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. 2 Corinthians 4:16‭ MSG

Nowhere does God promise us an easy life. Even the world's processes can never guarantee that you will have everything you want, even if you are rich. Life seems to be a daily grind, from one issue to the other, seemingly unending and unrelenting. How then do you see right in the midst of all the wrong? How do you keep inner peace in the midst of all the turmoil all around?

I see here an acknowledgement of the realities of this age. It's easier to give up than press on. It's easier to give in and blend in than to stand out and persevere in the good.  The world's system wears you out,  seeking to conform you to its processes, and because the world's system is older and universal, it will appeal to the unprepared.

However, one theme that runs its thread through today's extract is the word 'Grace'. Until you experience it, you can't explain it. If you have not found it, you will continue to labour, with little or no results to show for it. With grace, it is never about your effort,  but God's ever abiding strength and presence. With grace, it is not about what I am or have, but about who God is and what he has done and settled.

Even when my outside looks grim, his grace is all I need. When I don't understand what is happening, his grace is available to help me through. The answers may not come, and when they come, they may not be what I want to hear,  but his grace holds, helps and sustains me. Every day, his mercies are new; every day, I see his power and might displayed in the weakest of vessels; everyday, he unfolds this grace, so I understand my limitations and appreciate his limitless power. May I never come to a point where I think I can make it on my own. His time of favour is here.