the GRACE of a WHISPER and a WIFE

It is late Wednesday evening and I am just now “strong” enough to share some thoughts about being weak. You see, for the past 2 days, I have been knocked off my feet and bed-ridden.  I was held captive by intense nausea cuddling the toilet bowl the entire night.  I was so weak and felt very vulnerable. But though I was a hostage to this sickness, believe it or not, I found myself detained by Gods grace. Please allow me to explain by sharing with you the caption that summarizes the message I will be delivering Thursday (the 10th) at Coastal Christian Ocean City.“One can choose to either surrender to grief or surrender to grace. The former devours, the latter empowers. The Apostle Paul wrote graphically about his "thorn in the flesh," and through such anguish, God gave him an answer. "My grace is sufficient for you!" When we surrender to the grip of grace, like Paul, God holds us up to a higher standard of influence. That's the Law of His Instrument, where it's in His hands that our thorns become thrones for His power to rest upon.”Ironically, or should I say divinely, I usually spend my Tuesday and Wednesday studying my message for Thursday. But these past 2 preparatory days have, more so than most, taught me how to embody the message.  Studying the message is diligence, but embodying the message is providence. All I could think about in those moments of intolerable stomach pains was how God’s grace is sufficient. Meaning, when we pray and ask for God’s help, God always answers by giving us Himself and His strength.You see, my nausea and vomiting didn’t cease even though I prayed for release. In fact, as the night seemed to grow darker, the pain seemed to grow stronger. And just because God didn’t remove my pain doesn’t mean that He wasn’t caring for me. Usually He uses pain to get us to lean in on Him, more so than we would--had there been no pain. And even as we pray and expect an answer to be for our immediate help, though it seems like it doesn’t come. God in fact answers our prayer with the greatest of immediate help, which is the presence of Himself—“My grace is sufficient for you.”I knew His grace sufficed even as I shivered my way through the cold night immobilized on a hard floor.  It wasn’t anything magical or mystical. Nor does His grace come by way of lofty formula. But most of the time, His grace makes its clearest appearance in human form--through the simple service of a serving soul.So for me and this experience, some of Gods grace came in a whisper from Him that empowered me to shake myself out of the grip of grief and surrender to the grip of grace; and the other part of His grace came through Sarah, my wife, as she tenderly rubbed my back even as I hugged the toilet back. I couldn’t see God, but when I saw Sarah, I saw His grace.I am still weak right now and that is how I know that I am strong right now.