Comforting Grace

Hello All,

Hope you experience God's comforting grace in the message of today's poem.

Comforting Grace

By Joanne Liaw Sook Ling (20^th October 2012)

There are times I cannot comprehend                                              

The purpose of my troubles at hand

I cry out to God now and again

To bring despondencies to an end

When this life inundates me with its cares

And my weary heart gives way to despair

I know that Christ Jesus is always there

My heavy load he will lovingly bear

God's grace is more than sufficient for me

To traverse the paths of adversities

I am never alone for I can see

His guiding light in the darkest valleys

When I gaze at the cross of Calvary

Where Jesus bore my sin to set me free

From spiritual death for eternity

My trials are but droplets in the sea

2 Corinthians 12:9:

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

Points for Reflection:

·         Are the cares and troubles of this life wearing you thin?

·         Are you tired of the neverending problems that life floods you with?

·         Do you have moments when you question God's purpose for allowing overwhelming trials to come your way?

·         Do you feel at times that you are walking through the paths of adversities all alone?

·         Well, the good news is during trying periods of our lives, God does not leave us alone to fend for ourselves but he is always there to comfort and guide us. I can recall many instances when life's burdens became too heavy to bear, I just cried out to God in despair. The amazing thing is, when I brought my earnest and desperate prayers to God, I felt such comforting peace in my heart which no words could adequately describe and no one else could bring.

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. (Psalm 46:1)

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. (Psalm 23:4)

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7)

·         We will never be able to fully understand God's purpose for our trials but we can be sure that he has a plan for all of us and we can entrust our lives into his loving sovereign hands. He is always in control of everything.

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28)

       

·         Not only that, our biggest problem which is the penalty for our sin has been borne by Christ on the cross. We can take comfort in the fact that our earthly problems are just temporal as we look forward to the eternal hope that we have in Christ.

So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:16-18)