Aeschylus wrote, “In our sleep, pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart and in our despair, against our will comes wisdom through the awful grace of God.”

In the midst of pain we see God’s grace as “awful”, however, that fact could not be further from the point. God is in no way trying to harm us through the plans that He has for us. While it may seem in the moment that God is out to get us or harm us that point could not be further from the truth.

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11

When Christ came to die for us on the cross it was because He loved us and wanted to make us right with the Father. When we see the pain that we are going through we forget the most important piece of the puzzle that we are His. We are firmly and forever planted in the hands of Christ who is then being held by the Father.

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” John 10:27-30

In our pain we don’t see things clearly and get caught in the moment far more easily than we should. We grieve over a loss, pain from medical issues, and on it goes. Each circumstance can seem worse than the last and it can in the moment, but each moment is what makes us prepared for the next day. There will always be a tough circumstance around the corner and what makes the difference are the people we choose to rely on for our strength. God gave us a community of believers to be a close knit family unit. For all the problems I’ve had in my own life and blamed Him for, the only thing He has ever been doing was to make me a stronger man and to show me that I wasn’t alone. He was always watching over me and guiding me down the ultimate path that I was to walk, which I am still walking quite slowly.

For those of you who cannot see the “abundant grace” of God, then I dare you to look and finally see that God is watching over, and is in control of your life. I know that many of us hate to lose control of our lives, but to have God in control is not a hinderance, but a blessing. He gave His only Son that we might be together with Him, and it’s only through that prideful thinking that being His servant is bad in some way is what keeps us downtrodden. Lift up your hands and shed off the sins you surround your hearts with. Turn your faith and life over to Him. Find Him and let Him be Master, and Lord of your life, and continue to make that your prayer from this day forward.

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.” Revelation 3:20

“For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s.” Romans 14:8