When Others Fail Us 2:4
What Does Grace Look Like?
Grace is the power of God that changes our hearts and minds and brings us back into relationship with Him.
…and so we can look to His example to know how it is that we are supposed to extend grace to those who cause us suffering.
Life often presents us with moments when forgiveness seems impossible, and pain feels insurmountable. Yet, within these challenges, lies an opportunity to embrace grace.
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So, last week we discussed part one of this new series When Others Fail Us, a series filled with encouragement on how to deal with our own hearts when the people around us fall short; when we fail ourselves, when things don’t turn out the way we thought they would and how to trust in and lean on God even more in those times: because He is the One who will never fail us (though we may not always like His answers, He surely never fails to keep His promises). We took a look at the topic of forgiveness and how/why it is so important to forgive those who trespass against us.
This week we are going to take a look at what grace looks like in the Word and how we can apply it to the situations in our own lives where God is pressing in our hearts to extend grace.
Understanding the Essence of Grace:
“Grace is the power of God that transforms our hearts and minds and brings us back into relationship with Him.”
Grace heals wounds and restores relationships and through it, we find forgiveness, salvation, transformation, unconditional love, mercy, and empowerment to live according to God’s will. It provides us with the strength we need (in Christ) to resist temptation, live righteously, and serve others selflessly.
Grace in Action
Scriptures like Zechariah 12:10 reveal grace’s nature — a spirit of empathy and mercy.
Zec 12:10 “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn.
John 1:14 portrays Yeshua; the embodiment of grace and truth.
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
2Timothy 1:8-9 shows grace’s purpose in our calling. Grace is God’s power that renews our bond with Him.
2Ti 1:8 “Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, 9 who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began,”
Here are 3 verses for us that describe what grace feels like, looks like, and is. Grace feels like empathy for those who are hurting (and yes, sometimes the people who hurt us are actually wrongfully taking out their own hurt on us). It looks like Jesus, how He treated those who in the eyes of most did not deserve mercy. And grace is the power of YahWeh that changes our hearts and minds and brings us back into relationship with Him.
It’s something that He has always been willing to bestow upon us even when we were so hard-hearted and filled with sin, and so we can look to His examples of grace and know how it is that we are supposed to extend grace to those who cause us suffering.
1Pe 2:20 For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God.
1Peter 2:20 underscores that enduring suffering with grace pleases God when we have done something righteous that did not merit the suffering. Despite adversity, humility allows forgiveness, echoing Yeshua’s (Jesus’) teachings in Matthew 18:21.
Sometimes though, we may not see the product of the grace we give. Maybe someone has hurt you and you forgave them and they continued to hurt you, or they took advantage of your grace or perhaps even laughed at your grace. This my friend is where humility comes in. Remember when Peter came to Yeshua with this same question?
Mat 18:21 Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” 22 Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times.
Humility can be extremely difficult. It’s the very opposite of what humans inherently desire (due to the fall of mankind we are filled with pride which is the very core of sin) It goes against our feelings and usually our desires as well. We want justice! We want payback. We want to be seen, heard, and understood, but humility doesn’t offer that consolation. And yet, YahWeh does.
Know this: When you endure that pain and do good in humbling yourself to forgive “your enemy” God promises to bless and comfort you. (Mat 5:10-12; 2Co 1:3-4; Jas 1:12; 1 Pe 3:14; 1 Pe 4:13-14) So come to Him in quiet time to lament and cry out for His comfort and consolation. Because He is the Mighty counselor, and He endured all kinds of suffering that He might be able to be by your side in your heartache and pain.
My husband once told me a story about his late dad, who was dying a painful and slow death for years. His dad consistently told him to offer His suffering to Yah because suffering with Him is an honor and it fosters a deeper connection to Him because we become more reliant on Yah for our needs instead of the comforts we have found in this world that never really seemed to fill those empty places in our hearts...
“It gives us reason to draw near to Him and opens the opportunity to see the power of God for change in our hearts and minds.”
Endurance yields heavenly reward. Eternity wipes away tears, erasing pain. True justice awaits the unrepentant. Prayer softens hearts to forgive, initiating the journey of healing.
So if you are struggling with where to start…begin with prayer. It doesn’t have to be long and thoughtfully drawn out. It can be as simple as this :
“Father, please soften my heart to forgive…for…”
I hope this has blessed you today. If you would like to help this ministry grow I am trying to create a video testimonial section and I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for God to connect me with those who are willing to give their testimony publicly and connect me with others who have a similar call in their hearts so that we can support one another on the journey. As always donations are welcome and at this time would help me get the lighting and microphone equipment that I need.
An exciting little update: My husband and I are in the midst of beginning our homesteading journey! If you’re interested in following along please let me know in the comments or follow me on Instagram and YouTube @walklikeachristian to see what we’re up to!
Until Next week!
Shalom,
Dayna
