Thus says the Lord of hosts, “I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, that you should be prince over my people Israel.” 2 Samuel 7:8
Grace is all about what God does for us. Grace means that God’s kindness to us is a free gift. It is not earned. It is not a response to what we have done. It is not a reward for what we have given to him.
What God has done in the past. God stepped into David’s life, and took him from the shepherd he was to the king he became (7:8). And God has stepped into your life. He has laid hold of you and made you his own. In Jesus Christ, you are a son or daughter of God. You did nothing to deserve this. That’s grace!
What God is doing right now. “I have been with you wherever you went and have cut off all your enemies from before you” (7:9). God was with David at every step of the journey, including the times of his greatest disappointments. And in all that you face and in all that you endure, God says to you, “I will never leave you; I will never forsake you!” God sticks with us, even when we are at our worst. That’s grace!
What God will do in the future. “I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth” (7:9). Who you are and what will come from your life is safe in the hand of God. Your name will rest not on what you accomplish for God, but on what God in Christ has done, and will do for you!
That’s grace, and understanding grace takes the sting out of disappointment!
Reflect on what God has done, what he is doing now, and what he will do for you through Jesus Christ.
