Bruce Cooper

Grace, Grace, Grace!

Sometimes I am just amazed at what God can do to change a situation. There have been times as of late, when I have been almost beside myself because of the number of obstacles that seem to stack up before me and my total inability to change externals around me. And I have called out to God and in a moment, He literally changes a situation that seems impossible to change, into a totally different dynamic.

So many “little” things where the prompting of God’s Holy Spirit to hold off or not take matters into my own hands, have been shown to be, not only the prudent thing to do, but also of clear benefit. Thoughts like “Man, am I ever glad that I did not send that email!” or “Wow, wouldn’t God’s blessing have been weakened if I had followed through with what I thought I should do!”.

A lot of times it’s God telling me not to, that are instrumental in me seeing what He can and will do. And then there are those “totally out of the blue” thoughts that provide an entirely different approach that never entered my mind before. Most of them “appear” while I am saying my prayers. Far less accusatory, far less focus on who is “right” and who is “wrong”. And just to clarify, I am not talking about doctrinal issues, but rather interpersonal exchanges where differing opinions have or can be problematic.

I’m not going to go into specific details, but some of the things that I need to balance right now, each being critical, can individually, totally overwhelm me, and yet, God is faithful, in spite of my inadequacies. Just this week alone I have seen three specific areas, turn around from what I projected as me banging my head against a wall, to “I can’t believe that just happened!”

And all of it, all of it, is due to God’s grace. We don’t earn God’s favour, we just ask and He hears and responds, BECAUSE OF OUR FAITH AND TRUST IN HIS SON. And there is a growing gratefulness, thankfulness, graciousness, about it all. It’s hard to put into words.

James 4:8 NASB comes to mind: “Come close to God and He will come close to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”, as does Matthew 6:8 NASB: “So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.”

So, if you’re banging your head against a brick wall, tell God earnestly like it is and wait on Him!

Worthy is the Lamb! Blessings!

11 comments

  1. It’s been happening to me too, Bruce. It really is amazing how God steps in to keep us from getting into ‘hot water’, and there is such a heart-warming sense of gratitude and security in knowing that these prompts come straight from God. 🙂

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  2. Come close to God and He will come close to you. That really means so much to me because He is always there. He never leaves but when we welcome Him in our life the darkness fades away, the scales shed from our eyes, the hardness of hearts become softness, and our life is changed in unspeakable ways. We have so much more power than we think we do… He is just waiting on us to take His outstretched hand. It’s always been there we just need to take it. Grace at it fullest.

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    • Yes, it is! One example I was given, while in prayer, was a different approach to a problem, I obeyed and tried doing it, without being accusatory, but it wasn’t accepted by the other person. I was really hoping that it would be accepted, but that’s OK, because I was obedient. Even the results aren’t always ours to decide. Always trying to be as gentle as a dove isn’t easy at times. Frequent “No’s” to my “natural” inclination for responses are consistent, and obedience is required there also. Interesting! God’s blessings to you and yours, Linda Lee!

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