God's Grace Is Gives Us Peace! Series

God’s Grace Gives us Peace!

Genesis 18:1-14; Philippians 4:6-7; John 11:32; Genesis 12:1-9; John 16:33; Hebrews 11:8; Genesis 21:1-7; John 14:6

Fear of past, present, or future circumstances often make lying down in green pastures to sit beside quiet waters an exceptionally rare occurrence! Even though we know that it is often in the furnace of affliction that God refines us; this does not mean that we always see His gracious hand leading, guiding, and sustaining us! When time and chance (Ecclesiastes 9:11) throws us into a quagmire of chaos of never-ending uncertainty, trials, and tribulations; tranquility and peace soon become but distant memories, forever fragmented in our minds that are so easily broken! It doesn’t help that this world that we live in is changing at such a fast pace that norms quickly drift away while uncertainty and the unknown are always crashing upon our shores. In face of the winds of tribulation and the water of uncertainty one can’t help but wonder if it is truly possible to be courageous or are we all doomed to sink and be ravaged by fear and pain, only seeing but never achieving any peace, joy, or hope in our lives? The solution to fear is to accept the truth that the Lord is always near and “works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28). When doubt ravages our minds with fear the cure Apostle Paul says is to, “not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7). So far in this series we have learned that God’s grace is with us, for us, sustains us and today we are going to learn that God’s grace grants us peace! Sadly, even when God throws us a lifeboat of grace in the crucible of afflictions doubt often robs us from accepting this precious gift from our Shepherd, Lord, Savior, and King! Let’s look at three parts of Abraham and Sarah’s story to help us understand why seeing, remembering, and giving God the glory for the grace He has bestowed on us is the key to walking by the still waters in peace.

Seeing God’s Grace

In Genesis 18 we are told that one day while sitting at the entrance of his tent three men representing the Lord’s appearance appeared in front of Abraham (1-2). He asked them to “not pass your servant by” until he provided water to wash their feet, rest under a tree, and have something to eat (3-5). Abraham hurried to the tent and asked his wife Sarah to take the finest flour they had and bake some bread (6). He then ran to the herd, selected a choice tender calf, and gave it to a servant to prepare for his guests to eat (7-8). While they ate the food Abraham stood near them under the tree (8). As they ate, they asked Abraham, “where is your wife Sarah” to which he replied that she was still in the tent (9). Then one of them said, “I will return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son” (10). Sarah who was listening to their conversation heard what was said and laughed (13). Such a promise seemed ludicrous to her for Abraham was 100 years old and she was 90 (17:17)! Sarah thought to herself, “after I am worn out and my lord is old, will I now have this pleasure (12)? “Then the Lord said to Abraham, why did Sarah laugh and say, will I really have a child, now that I am old? Is anything too hard for the Lord” (13-14)? When the Lord repeated the promise that a son would be born at the appointed time, Sarah became afraid and lied to the Lord that she had not laughed to which His response was that she certainly did so (15).

The promise of a son born in their old age caught Sarah off guard. The promised miracle of life seemed to Sarah to be beyond anything God would ever grant her and her husband. Mary and her sister Marthy also had a difficult time believing that despite bleak circumstances God’s grace was about to be given to them in miraculous ways! The sisters sent word to Jesus that the one he loved was gravely ill and despite the urgency Jesus remained for two more days at Jerusalem (John 11:6-7). When Jesus arrived at Bethany Lazarus had been dead for four days (17)! Martha met Jesus and said, “if only You had been here my brother would not have died” (21) to which the Lord calmly stated, “your brother will raise again” (23)! Martha thought Jesus meant her brother would raise again during the resurrection, but Jesus reminded her that He as the “resurrection and life” had no limitations when it came to raising the dead (25-26). While Martha believed with all her heart that Jesus was “the Messiah, the Son of God” (27) such a miracle seemed impossible to be performed and yet when Christ cried out “Lazarus come out” he came to life and walked out of that tomb (43-44)! We serve a God who is sovereign over all things seen and unseen (Colossians 1:16) and consistently breaks through our bleakest, most painful whirlwinds of trials and tribulations and in love and grace sustains and often rescues us! Maybe you are going through some very difficult times like Sarah, Mary and Martha and you just can’t see a future that is filled with love, joy, and peace. Remember, it is precisely in our greatest weakness, when all things seem bleak, that His power is made perfect, and miracles happen!