Why You Can Enjoy God’s Unending Supply Of Grace (Part 1/3)

Worn out and stressed? God doesn’t want His children living life fearful, worried, and anxious—He’s got a better plan for you. Join Joseph Prince in this three-part series and find out how you can live life under God’s never-ending supply of grace!

Imagine for a moment that you’re standing on a sandy beach and watching the waves of the ocean roll inexorably, one after another, to shore. Picture them picking up speed as they surge toward the shoreline, then cresting, curling, and collapsing into white froth upon the shore as they wash over the sand. As one wave breaks and falls, another is close behind, rushing in to take its place even before the first has fully receded. Close your eyes and picture the waves coming in—rising, breaking, and claiming the shore in a ceaseless, never-ending cycle, one wave close on the heels of another, fueled by the wind and the water of an endless ocean.

Everyone loves the sight and sound of waves lapping against the seashore. There’s something about watching and hearing the waves washing over the shore again and again that brings on a sense of serenity, relaxation, and calm. You can even buy phone apps now that give you this familiar, soothing sound to rest and unwind. Interestingly, not too long ago, this very picture of wave after wave rushing to shore was what I received from the Lord as I was studying a particular scripture about His grace:

And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace.

John 1:16

GRACE FOR GRACE

In the above scripture, Apostle John is talking about Jesus, who is full of grace and truth (John 1:14), and that we have received His “grace for grace.” What does John mean by us receiving His “grace for grace”? When I looked up the word “for” in the original Greek text, I found that it is the Greek word anti, from which we get our English word “anti.” Apart from “anti” meaning “against” or “opposed to” (where we have words such as “anti-Christ” and “antivirus”), I found out from Thayer’s Greek Lexicon that “anti” also means “instead of ” or “in place of ” (for example, the anti-Christ is so named because he is a person trying to imitate or take the place of Christ).

Right there, the Lord opened up this verse, particularly the phrase “grace for grace” to me: “grace anti grace” really means grace in place of grace. That’s when I received the inner vision of the waves from the Lord.

I saw how His grace comes into our lives in the same way waves roll over the seashore—one wave inexorably taking the place of the one that went before it, a snapshot of one of the endless activities of the vast, powerful ocean.

Isn’t this so true of how God has worked in our lives? The first wave of grace came in, and we got gloriously saved. We thought that was all there was. But when we needed wisdom at one point, or provision or healing further down the road, wave upon wave of God’s grace came in, bringing His supply to more than meet our need, time and again. My friend, I want to encourage you with this thought today: we can expect grace in place of grace, wave upon wave of God’s amazing and glorious grace, for the rest of our lives! Out of the vast ocean of His grace, wave upon wave of the provision you need are headed your way. Hallelujah!

Did we do something to deserve God’s relentless and unfailing grace? Certainly not! It’s all because our Lord Jesus went to the cross more than 2,000 years ago to pay the full price for our sins. Wave upon wave of God’s fiery judgment and righteous indignation fell upon the body of our substitute, until every iota of our sins was punished. And when Jesus cried out, “It is finished!” (John 19:30), it tore the veil separating us from a holy God, and a flood tide of God’s grace and blessings was unleashed upon us! Praise Jesus!

FEAR OF FLYING REPLACED BY GOD’S PEACE

Do you need another wave of God’s grace today? Allow me to share Melanie’s testimony with you to encourage you. Writing to my ministry from Los Angeles, she shared with me how terrified she was of flying. She could never relax or enjoy herself at any airport awaiting her flight, never mind the flight itself. In her state of anxiety and fear, she would find herself making multiple trips to the bathroom until she was safely back on the ground.

Not long ago, Melanie was with her family in an airport in Houston, Texas. While waiting for their flight to Las Vegas, her husband and children were having a wonderful time in the food court, joking, laughing, and playing—all in high spirits for their family vacation. In stark contrast, Melanie simply sat there by herself, unable to relax, dwelling on and dreading the three-hour flight. The more she thought about the flight—being stuck for hours in a confined space more than 30,000 feet in the air—the more anxious and fearful she became. What a miserable state to be in, especially when you’re on holiday with your loved ones!

As the knot of fear just grew and grew in her mind and in the pit of her stomach, an email came through on her phone—the first wave of God’s grace.

It was one of my daily devotionals 
in which I shared about a woman I had met on a plane. Like Melanie, this woman also had a fear of flying and was gripping the armrests of her seat tightly as the plane was in the air. Melanie read about how the Lord ministered to this woman and how she experienced His grace on that flight. How timely this devotional was for Melanie. It spoke volumes to her about God’s personal love for her and brought in a peace that began to dispel the fears in her heart. She said:

“The more I saw God’s love through the devotional, the more I felt the power of God calming my heart. Tears rolled down my face right there in the food court. I quietly wiped them away and received
 His grace and righteousness in exchange for all my fears. That day, 
 I experienced one of the most glorious flights in my life. I did not go to the bathroom once (compared to the numerous times I had to on previous flights). Throughout the whole flight, I was filled with such great peace and calm, and was able to share with my family the joy and excitement of our vacation. The Lord had met my need right where I was.”

For someone with an entrenched phobia of flying, I would say that this was certainly a miraculous breakthrough!

BELIEVE AND RECEIVE

God knows exactly what you need, wherever you are. Perhaps you are sitting outside your doctor’s office, terrified of what the test results might reveal. How bad is my condition? How am I going to afford the treatment? Will it even work? Maybe you are waiting outside the interview room, afraid that you’ll be turned down for the umpteenth time in favor of someone younger.

How am I going to pay the utility bills and my kids’ school fees without a job? Worrisome thoughts race through your mind and paint a bleak future in your mind’s eye.

My friend, close your eyes for a moment and picture the vision of the waves that I described earlier. Tell yourself, “That’s how God’s grace is coming into my situation, into my life, right now—one wave in place of another without fail, driven by the force of His love and grace for me.” Now, hold that thought and pray this simple prayer with me:

Dear heavenly Father, You know the situation I am 
in. I may not be able to see it now, but I thank You that because of Jesus’ sacrifice for me, wave after 
wave of Your glorious grace is rushing into my life to meet every need and oversupply every lack. I turn my situation over to You completely, knowing that You love and care for me perfectly. I receive Your abundant grace right now and I thank You for every incoming wave of supply, healing, and protection in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Now that you have prayed this prayer, let your heart be at rest. Refuse to worry anymore.

Keep seeing the Lord’s grace coming into your situation, wave upon wave, and keep thanking Him for it.

Your Savior is so full of grace He will never tell you, “I’ve run out of supply.” Neither will He ever condemn you for your mistakes and refuse to help you. Instead of expecting more bad things to happen to you, begin to expect good things to happen to you because Jesus’ blood has qualified you for every blessing.

>> Read Part 2/3 of Why You Can Enjoy God’s Unending Supply Of Grace

>> Read Part 3/3 of Why You Can Enjoy God’s Unending Supply Of Grace

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Enjoy Wave After Wave Of God’s Grace

 

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