Day 48
Calming Grace
Bryan Chapell tells about his son Jordan in his book, In The Grip of Grace. Jordan is apparently one of those high-energy toddlers who is destined to be something like a stunt man in Hollywood. He is a risk-taking daredevil.
Yet Brian says one of his favorite snapshots of Jordan was taken inside a hotel room after a day of amusement park fun and sightseeing on a family vacation. In the picture, Jordan is sleeping in his mother’s arms.
To understand the significance of this picture, you have to understand… the kind of day we had before the picture was made. When the time finally arrives for him to rest after such a day, it is no easy task to settle Jordan down. But my son has a wonderful mother, and she has discovered the secret of calming him when things seem on the verge of pandemonium.
Kathy takes Jordan into her arms and tells him about his birth.
She says, “Oh, Jordan, when you were born we were so happy. You had red hair and looked just like your grandfather. Your father and I knew we would love you so much, and we knew nothing could ever take away our love for you. You used to talk to me with little baby sounds, and I would talk back to you even when I knew you didn’t understand, just to tell you how special you were to me and how much I loved you.
“Your eyes were so blue I almost never wanted you to sleep so I could keep looking at your beautiful eyes. Even when I got sick and had to go to the hospital right after you were born, I took you with me, because I never wanted to be away from you.”
When his mother tells him about his birth in such loving terms, Jordan becomes all ears. He listens so intently that he settles right down.
This is the kind of loving care your Heavenly Father has for you! In fact, the Bible says:
He will delight in you with gladness. With His love, He will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs. Zephaniah 3:17b [NLT]
It’s interesting to me that most of the epistles in the New Testament start and end with the phrase, “grace and peace to you…”
If you let your Father’s words of grace wash over you, you will find yourself secure and at peace.
Read these verses from Psalm 103 and allow yourself to be calmed by grace:
O my soul, bless God. From head to toe, I’ll bless his holy name!
O my soul, bless God,
don’t forget a single blessing!He forgives your sins — every one.
He heals your diseases — every one.
He redeems you from hell — saves your life!
He crowns you with love and mercy — a paradise crown.
He wraps you in goodness — beauty eternal.
He renews your youth — you’re always young in his presence.God makes everything come out right;
he puts victims back on their feet.
He showed Moses how he went about his work,
opened up his plans to all Israel.
God is sheer mercy and grace;
not easily angered, he’s rich in love.
He doesn’t endlessly nag and scold,
nor hold grudges forever.
He doesn’t treat us as our sins deserve,
nor pay us back in full for our wrongs.
As high as heaven is over the earth,
so strong is his love to those who fear him.
And as far as sunrise is from sunset,
he has separated us from our sins.
Psalm 103:1-12 [The Message]
Why does grace have a calming effect?
How has your study of grace calmed you?
Pray through Psalm 103:1–12 today, thanking God for these truths!
