There was a good amount of discussion this last week about the grace and peace of God. Paul uses both these words as a greeting in many of his letters:
Grace be to you and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 1:2 (KJV)
Is there more to these words than mere greeting? I would have to say yes, particularly because grace and peace are imparted from God to us. Let us look to Ephesians 6:12 at an example of how God is gracious toward us.
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
God tells us in this same passage (vs. 14-18) to equip ourselves to handle this spiritual warfare. He tells us to put on the defensive armor of:
- Truth
- Righteousness
- The Gospel of Peace
- Faith
- Salvation
And have ready our only offensive weapon, our sword,
The Word of God
Finally, in verse 18, He tells us to pray always and with perseverance. We are to live our lives in an atmosphere of prayer, a constant communication with our Commander in Chief, God Almighty.
What, you may ask, does that have to do with “grace and peace.” As I pondered that question, I realized how fortunate we are to have a God that loves us so much. He spares us, by His grace, from seeing the evil forces that are encamped about us. Most of us would probably drop dead from fright!
His grace has spared us from experiencing the floggings, the stoning and the shipwrecks that Paul went through. We all experience trials, but not necessarily because of our faithfulness to Christ. Many of the trials that we encounter are just a part of living in this world. Yet, even in those, we experience His grace as he holds back Satan’s forces from harming us even further.
It is when we come to fully recognize His awesome grace that we then experience His incredible peace that passes all understanding.
Are you going through trials? Recognize that God the Father may have something to teach you in each situation. Realize that He is holding back spiritual forces that could cause it to be even worse and thank Him. That is His grace at work in your life. When you understand this, His peace will wash over you as a gentle wave of warmth.
May the grace of God and our Lord Jesus Christ be ever realized in your life and may His peace calm your soul in the midst of all your trials. Amen.
