Editor's Note: In light of the recent tragic events at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis, Minnesota, we are republishing this post. The fear and uncertainty that come from such acts of violence can be overwhelming. We hope this reflection and prayer serve as a source of comfort and a reminder that even in times of great anxiety, there is a peace that surpasses all understanding.

Philippians 4:4-7 (ESV) 4  Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.5  Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand;6  do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.7  And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 

The instances of mass murder, hate crimes, and terrorist attacks (we had another one this past week) the past few years have caused many of us to be afraid of being in crowds, going to certain places like shopping malls, even church.  When these things happen we realize that we are not in control of much in our lives and that generates fear. It's at those times we yearn for peace. The kind of peace we had as young children when our parents, grandparents, a guardian, or even social service programs took care of everything. 

I recently started a series of posts sharing prayers for you to pray at those times when  you're having trouble with trust or finding the words to pray above the scary times. It's at those times you want to know the peace of God which passes all understanding.  (For the entire series of prayers click this LINK

A Prayer for Peace of Mind

Almighty God, We bless you for our lives, we give you praise for your abundant mercy and grace we receive. We thank you for your faithfulness even though we are not that faithful to you. Lord Jesus, we ask you to give us all around peace in our mind, body, soul and spirit. We want you to heal and remove everything that is causing stress, grief, and sorrow in our lives.

Please guide our path through life and make our enemies be at peace with us. Let your peace reign in our family, at our place of work, businesses and everything we lay our hands on.

Let your angels of peace go ahead of us when we go out and stay by our side when we return. In Jesus' name, Amen.
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The following sermon, delivered by Russell D. Moore at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky is the most comprehensive description and explanation, that I have encountered, of one of, if not the most quoted scripture that we Christians in the United States affirm and stand-on when praying about the spiritual condition of the nation.  

II Chronicles 7:11‭-‬16 NKJV Thus Solomon finished the house of the Lord and the king’s house; and Solomon successfully accomplished all that came into his heart to make in the house of the Lord and in his own house. Then the Lord  appeared to Solomon by night, and said to him: “I have heard your prayer, and have chosen this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice. When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people, if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to prayer made in this place. For now I have chosen and sanctified this house, that My name may be there forever; and My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually.

What Pastor Moore is saying to the church in the US is that we should look less at the nation and its political and social ills, although they are important, and more to Christ and Him crucified in order for healing to take place in the “land”.   We need to exchange our civil religions for a Cross.

Editor’s Note:  All emphasis, in bold, was added by me.  To view a video of the sermon click this LINK

Exchange Our Civil Religions for a Cross
Russell D. Moore

The temptation for any culture and any country: to use an idea of faith, generically defined, or to use an idea of God, generically defined, in order to prop up what you really want, which are well-behaved people who will support the society as it is.

God and Country is much, much easier than Christ and Him crucified.

When we think about what’s happening in terms of speaking of God in this way and speaking of faith in this way, this text we just read some moments ago may be the most often-used text to get to that end. How many Fourth of July sermons have we heard that come from 2 Chronicles 7:14 in order to speak about how to fix America? How to fix America is, “If my people called by my name humble themselves, pray, seek the face of the Lord, repent of their sins, then God will heal the land.”

It becomes very clear in the preaching of that sermon that the people are the American people and the land is the American land. So, as one scholar said of this text, 2 Chronicles 7:14 is the John 3:16 of the American civil religion. Indeed, it is.

The idea is that we need to get America back. Let’s reclaim America for Christ. When that is said, the question has to be asked: Get America back to what? Get America back to the founding era, or get America back to the 1950s, or get America back to the 1980s? The implication is to get American back to whatever the time was before everything fell apart, as though everything fell apart at a certain blip during the whole time the United States of America has existed. However, 2 Chronicles 7 is speaking about something much deeper.

This passage was written to a people, to the people of God who were coming home from exile. They were coming home from a time in which they have been under the domination of a foreign power. This was a group of people who needed to be reminded of the promises of God, to be reminded of the power of God, to be reminded of who they were. So, this text is written pointing them to Solomon’s reign, reminding them of what Solomon did when he built the temple, the house of the Lord, the place of the gathering of the worship of God.

It was written to a people who were uneasy and insecure because it seemed as if the promises had failed. It seemed as if the house of David was gone. It seems as if even after building a new temple, it wasn’t the old temple; it wasn’t the place it was before. So, the question is: Where is God, and what is our future as the people of God? In that, this text does not point us to a bloodless civil religion. This text points us to the cross.

The Cross Defines the People of God

Scripture says here in that famous chapter in 7:14, “If My people…” In order to understand what the Spirit is saying to us, we have to understand what God means when God says, “My people.” He says, “If My people, who are called by My name…” He’s speaking here of a covenant He had made with a people, a covenant that is in the background throughout this entire section of Solomon’s dedication of the temple. The Scripture speaks of this location of Mount Moriah, the place where Abraham went to sacrifice Isaac.

They are reminded of the promise God made to Abraham: “I will be your God, and you will be My people.” They’re reminded of this place in the threshing floor, where God appeared to David and made this promise: “You won’t build a house for Me, but I will build a house for you, and I will put your son upon the throne, and he will reign forever and ever and ever.” They were reminded as the instruments of worship were being brought into the temple, as the sacrifices were being brought into the temple, of the covenant God made with Moses, that He will be God to His people. All of these promises are here, all around as they were moving into this temple.

If we don’t understand the question of who we are first and foremost as the people of God, then we are going to miss this. If we take this text and we bypass the people of God, as we apply it directly to the mass of people in American culture, or to the mass of people in Bible Belt American culture, or to the mass of people in any culture in any civilization—as though we are existing as Americans or Canadians or Australians in a covenant relationship with God in the way God put Himself in a covenant here with the people of Israel—then the problem is not just that we are misinterpreting the text. The problem is that we are missing Christ.

This is not just a series of generic principles. According to Romans 9, God’s relationship with the people of Israel is in order to bring them to the Christ, who is the God over all. We are the people who are united to Christ. That’s the reason this text comes after Solomon prayed: Solomon, who was anointed with the Spirit of God; Solomon who had received the kingship. Solomon prayed here in 2 Chronicles 6:42: “Oh Lord, do not turn Your face away from Your anointed one.”

Who are we? That is the most important question we can ask about how we are going to move forward in the culture God is sending us into now. For too long we have assumed that what we ought to be agitated about is getting America in step with the church, as though 2 Chronicles 7:14 is a recipe for getting America in step with the church. Second Chronicles 7:14 is not a program for getting America in step with the church. Second Chronicles 7:14 is a program for getting the church out of step with America.

You are the people—regardless of where you are, regardless of what has happened to you—you are the people who are called by My name, here in My temple, God says; and as this happens, He is present with His people. That is being defined according to a gospel that God is revealing that ultimately will come to fulfillment in the cross of Jesus Christ; but it’s not only the people of God who are defined here. The presence of God also is defined here.

Often when we hear this sort of God-and-country civil religion, it is very bright, shiny, patriotic and inspirational. If you take only 2 Chronicles 7:14 out and crochet it and hang it on a wall, you can have that illusion. However, 2 Chronicles 7:14 is in the middle of 2 Chronicles 7, and 2 Chronicles 7 reeks of blood.

Scripture says here that Solomon was not emphasizing to the people the importance of faith. He was not telling the people the importance of values. He was coming into this temple with thousands of corpses of animals, with the shedding of blood, and Scripture says that when this happened, the people of Israel saw fire coming down from heaven, consuming the sacrifices. They saw the glory, the cloud of God’s presence, all throughout the sanctuary, so much so the people fell on their faces and cried out, “The Lord is good. His steadfast love endures forever.”

Why were they doing that? It was not because they were saying, “Can you believe we get to see something as cool as this?” It was because God was accepting the sacrifice. They were standing before God through a veil of blood, and God was receiving them. That’s why God, when He spoke then to Solomon in this night vision, he said, “This is the place I have chosen, where I will put My name; and I will put My presence. This temple—and if My people, who are called by My name—if they will humble themselves, if they will repent, if they will seek My face, if they will cry out, then I will hear,” He said, “from heaven, and I will heal them.” He was speaking here of His manifest presence in the temple.

That temple doesn’t stand, because we have come now to a temple that is not made with hands. We come now to a temple in the broken body of Jesus of Nazareth, who is building a royal priesthood, a temple made up of living stones. Further, more so than in this temple constructed by Solomon’s hands, God’s presence is with His people through union with Jesus Christ—our God with us—through the mediation of Jesus Christ. We now are being sent out into the nations, but we are not being sent into the nations alone. We are being sent to places, where we cry out to the Father and are heard because we are coming through a veil of blood, through the poured out blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.

This means that if religion is just a way to make us better Americans, then we can find other ways to be good Americans, and we can find a religion that will do that better. However, we can be Americans best if we are not Americans first. We recognize and know there is something more important than the state; there is something more important than the culture; there is something more important than the community. More so than this group of people gathering in front of the fire and in front of the cloud and smelling the smell of the blood, we right now are joined to a cloud of witnesses that no man can number, gathered around the throne of the triumphant Jesus Christ; and that defines for us the fact that we have access to come boldly into the presence of God.

That does not disengage us from our responsibilities as citizens, it shapes and forms our consciences about how best to do that. One of the biggest problems I face right now advocating for religious liberty all over the place is that most of the people who want to restrict religious liberty are not evil people; most of them are not wicked people, plotting somehow to shut down churches and pave over consciences.

Most of them are people who don’t understand religious motivation, so they assume there really must be some other motive involved. It really must be about power or money. There are all sorts of things you and I can do—and ought to do—to plead, work and fight for religious liberty; but the first thing we must do to stand for religious liberty is recognize and know that above state, society and community we have come to the heavenly Mount Zion, where we stand with blood around innumerable angels confessing Jesus is Lord.

The presence of God is here with His people in this temple. He hears them from there, because that’s where He has chosen His name to be. The reason it’s easy in American culture to say “God,” the reason it’s easy for that chaplain who is worried about getting in trouble with his commanding officer to end a prayer with “In Your name,” is because the name of Jesus is so specific in the way God meets His people that you can say “God” and assume any number of higher commitments; but when you say “Jesus,” you are speaking of the place where God has chosen to meet His people, in His temple, in His sacrifice, in His King, in His Priest.

Yet it’s not only that…
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The Cross also Defines the Promises of God

God said to Solomon that if My people humble themselves, if they repent of their sins, if they seek My face, He said, “I will hear them, I will heal their land.” The way this so often is interpreted is to say that for us to humble ourselves and repent of our sin is for us to be angry enough about the sins of other people in the culture around us. For God to heal the land is for God to prosper our country and culture. That is not what God was promising here to Solomon.

What the prosperity gospel teachers always want to do is take the promises and curses of God from Deuteronomy, for example, bypass Jesus Christ and go directly from Deuteronomy to viewers such as you. So, if you are obedient, then God is going to prosper you and give you health; if you are disobedient, God is going to give you suffering. This bypasses what Scripture teaches us in Galatians 3, which is to say the obedient man God prospers and gives life to is only one human being who keeps the law of God. The curses we suffer for disobedience, laid out in Deuteronomy and elsewhere, have fallen upon that man as he is hanging on the tree, and cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree.

A prosperity gospel is not just a different shade of Christianity. A prosperity gospel is no gospel at all. It is a Canaanite fertility religion that has nothing to do with the gospel of Jesus Christ. A prosperity gospel doesn’t work any better for nations than it does for individuals. If you bypass Jesus and apply these promises, or you apply these curses to a nation, any nation, apart from the mediation of Jesus Christ, you do not understand what the Spirit is saying in Scripture.

God tells us to care about the flourishing of the people around us, to care about our nation. He says that not only when the people of God are in Israel; He says that when the people of God are in exile in Babylon. God tells us that we need to be concerned about justice. That’s the reason the apostle Paul pled his case all the way up to Caesar.

These ultimate blessings and curses Scripture talks about now are blessings and curses that aren’t about a prosperous economy. They are not about a more moral society. Instead, they are about when God says, “If you are disobedient to Me, I will tear this temple down, and I will see to it that everybody who passes by will become a proverb and byword, and this house that was exalted, the people passing by will say, ‘Has the Lord done this? Has the Lord abandoned His people?’”

Brothers and sisters, that is exactly what happened when the Lord Jesus of Nazareth took upon Himself the curse—not for His sins, but for ours—and for the house of Judah. As He was there under the weight of the curse of God, what did the passersby say? “If God is with You, come down from that cross.”

That is what happens when you are on the wrong side of God and the blessings promised here. I will heal your land, not GDP, not people behaving morally, not Ten Commandment signs in the classrooms, not whether people say “Merry Christmas” to you instead of “Happy Holidays.” The blessing is: I will heal your land. That is exactly, through the gospel, what God did when He took the cold, dead, cursed, abandoned corpse of Jesus of Nazareth, enlivened it with the Spirit of God, and the pilot project of the new creation walked out into the sunlight, ascended to the center of the universe, seated Himself upon the throne, and is now waiting for all of His enemies to be made a footstool for His feet. That is what it means to see a land that is healed.

When heaven and earth are joined together and God’s will is done on earth as it is done in heaven—that’s what it means to heal a land. It’s to look and say, “No matter how we are suffering, no matter how we are persecuted, no matter how we are marginalized, our identity is not in whatever is happening to us right now. Our identity is seated at the right hand of God, and He is feeling just fine.” Just as this word was meant to do for the house of Israel, it frees us from fear.

Your ministries are moving into a time of cultural tumult all around you, and you are going to be afraid. Some of you are going to be so afraid that you are going to want to negotiate away parts of the gospel. Some of you are going to be so afraid that you are not going to want to be present in the lives of people who are sinners for fear that some Christian protection racket will say you shouldn’t be talking to such people…tax collectors, sinners, and what not.

However, the gospel is defined in such a way that we are able to claim the promises of God, to claim the presence of God, to see ourselves as the people of God within that cross so we know the worst thing that possibly could happen to us—the worst thing that can happen to you—is not getting fired from a church; the worst thing that possibly could happen to you is not being disinvited from Thanksgiving from your parents; the worst thing that ever could happen to you is not being thrown into a Middle-Eastern prison; the worst thing that could happen to you is not being beheaded by jihadists. The worst thing that could happen to you is being abandoned to your sin, being cursed by God, being crucified outside the camp…and that already has happened to you.

The best thing that ever could happen to you is not that you will have a successful ministry; it is not that you will have acclaim in the culture; it is not that you will have a picture-perfect family; and it is not that you will exist in a culture that has traditional family values. The best thing that can happen to you is being raised from the dead to newness of life in fellowship with the living God and being assigned by Him a mission as an heir of God and joint heir with Christ…and that has already happened to you, too.

So, if the right Man is at the helm of the universe; and if the sacrifices are already present there in the heavenly temple; and if you are in the cloud of the glory of God, then what on earth are you worried about? This Word is meant to give a word of warning: Judah, don’t disobey God, don’t walk away from God. It is meant to give the listeners the power and courage to say, “You might not see the house of David right now, but there’s a stump coming up and there’s a Son of David coming. You might not see the glory in the temple right now, but there’s a temple coming that is so glorious you can’t imagine right now. You might not be able to get through all of these sacrifices in order to deal with your guilt, but there’s a sacrifice coming from the Lamb of God, who permanently will take away the sin of the world.”

If that is true, then let’s crucify our generic civil religions and our discount-rate prosperity gospels and hear behind all of them the gentle lowing of golden calves. Let’s instead define ourselves not by the generic god of American values. We do not serve that god.

We serve the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God and Father of Jesus Christ, and the promises He has made. They will outlast Mount Rushmore, and the presence He has given to us tells us who we are and where we are going because He’s promised us in the short term a cross on our backs, and He has promised us in the long term a crown of life; but He never promised us a God and Country Badge.

Russell D. Moore is president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention in Nashville, Tennessee.

A few years ago I wrote, “Faith and Healing – What Does the Bible Say?”   In that blog post I said that healing is a gift from God not a right. “A gift is not something that you can demand or claim that you have a right to.  Salvation and eternal life are gifts from God because of His grace and mercy not because we earned or deserve them.  

Ephesians 2:8-9 (HCSB)8  For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift--9  not from works, so that no one can boast. 

I believe that healing is also a gift.  We don’t earn healing because we go to church and bible study every week, or pray three times a day.  It is a gift from God, a gift received by faith. A gift is not something that you can demand or claim that you have a right to receive.  When Jesus walked the earth those who wanted healing asked Him for it. They didn’t demand it and Jesus healed them voluntarily. Salvation and eternal life are gifts God has given us because of His grace and mercy not because we earned or deserve them.  I believe that healing is one of those gifts. We don’t earn healing because we go to church and bible study every week, or pray three times a day. It is a gift from God.  

Ultimately, our full physical healing awaits us in heaven. In heaven, there will be no more pain, sickness, disease, suffering, or death.  We all need to be less preoccupied with our physical condition in this world and a lot more concerned with our spiritual condition.

Romans 12:1-2 (HCSB)1  Therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship.2  Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.  

Then we can focus our hearts on heaven where we will no longer have to deal with physical problems. 

Revelation 21:1-4 (HCSB)1  Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea no longer existed.2  I also saw the Holy City, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared like a bride adorned for her husband.3  Then I heard a loud voice from the throne: Look! God’s dwelling is with humanity, and He will live with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God.4  He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will no longer exist; grief, crying, and pain will exist no longer, because the previous things have passed away.

A Prayer for Personal Healing

God, you know me so well. You created me. You know the number of hairs on my head, and you even know the thoughts conceived in my heart before I ever vocalize them. You've told us to come to you and ask for every need of life. You are Jehovah-Rapha, the God who heals, and you have the final word on my destiny, the number of years I'll live and serve you on earth.

I'm coming to you today as your child, longing to hear from you and asking for your divine healing. There's so much I don't understand about life. But I do know that with one touch, one word, you can make me whole. Please forgive me of my sins, cleanse me of my unrighteousness, and begin your healing from the inside out.

I don't always know what your will is Lord, especially in times like now, when I desperately seek your face. I offer you no promises, no bargains, no deals to exchange for my health. I simply bow my heart before you to tell you the desire of my heart: that I want to spend as many years as I can loving you here, loving others, and wanting to become more like you. However you choose to accomplish that is up to you—and okay with me. If you use doctors to provide healing, give them wisdom to know what to do. Regardless of how you accomplish it, the healing you give is always miraculous. And you deserve all the praise.

I absolutely believe you have the power to heal. You demonstrated that on earth, and you still heal in miraculous ways today. Even when my faith is weak, you say it is enough, and my love for you is strong. And I know you already hold my heart and life in your hands. It's up to you. If I can bring you more glory through healing, then that's what I ask for. That's what I desire.

But if your answer is no, or not now, I know that your grace is sufficient for me. Ultimately, I want your will to be my will. I look forward to spending an eternity with you. But Lord, if you have planned still more for me to do here on this earth, I not only need and want your physical healing, Lord, but a thorough, deep-down cleansing and strengthening—a whole-hearted renewal of all that I am. Because all that I am is yours. Use this trial to strengthen me from a "what-if" faith to a "no-matter-what" faith. And no matter what, I choose to honor you and give you glory. In Jesus's name, Amen. ~ Rebecca Barlow Jordan

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Grace is the most important concept in the Bible, Christianity, and the world. It is most clearly expressed in the promises of God revealed in Scripture and embodied in Jesus Christ himself.

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary definition of grace is; a. unmerited divine assistance given humans for their regeneration or sanctification

The definition from the NAS New Testament Greek Lexicon is; good will, loving-kindness, favour; the merciful kindness by which God, exerting his holy influence upon souls, turns them to Christ, keeps, strengthens, increases them in Christian faith, knowledge, affection, and kindles them to the exercise of the Christian virtues

Grace is the source from which all blessings flow from God.

Ephesians 2:8-9 (HCSB)8 For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift—9 not from works, so that no one can boast.

God’s love for you is unlimited and unconditional.  It is because of God's grace and nothing else that we are saved.  We think that we can get there and have the security of getting there (salvation) by doing all the religious things; giving our tithes and offerings, and obeying the rules.  These things are great, but they are useless in solving the biggest problem--and that is that our sinful hearts make us unfit for a relationship with a holy God. All the good we do can’t erase even one of our bad deeds.

The entire message of the Gospel is grace. God showed us grace by sending his Son to take the punishment for our sin because we could not do it ourselves. We were utterly helpless. And yet, God helped us. He helped us in our weakness because he desired a relationship with us.

Here are 30 inspiring quotes, some from scripture, others from authors, pastors, and other brilliant people . 
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30 Inspiring Quotes about God’s Amazing Grace
By Lauren Sanchez

13 Inspiring Bible Verses about How Amazing God's Grace Is

"But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me." – 2 Corinthians 12:9

"Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God's sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin. But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." – Romans 3:20-24

"Let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." – Hebrews 4:16

"The law was brought in so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." – Romans 5:20-21

"Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace." – Romans 6:12-14

"For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope-the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good." – Titus 2:11-14

"The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John testified concerning him. He cried out, saying, "This is the one I spoke about when I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.' ") Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known." – John 1:14-18

"For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will- to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that he lavished on us." – Ephesians 1:4-8a

"But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions-it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God- not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." – Ephesians 2:4-10

"For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich." – 2 Corinthians 8:9

"What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? By no means! Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey-whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness." – Romans 6:15-17

"He has saved us and called us to a holy life-not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel." – 2 Timothy 1:9-10

"Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who is a pattern of the one to come. But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God's grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! Nor can the gift of God be compared with the result of one man's sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ! – Romans 5:14-17
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​17 Inspiring Quotes about The Incredible Gift of God’s Grace

"For we are human, weak and prone to wrong,
And by Thy grace alone are we made strong." –Henry Coyle, Thankful Heart

"In the midst of our failed attempts at loving Jesus, His grace covers us." – Francis Chan, Crazy Love

"Repentance, not proper behavior or even holiness, is the doorway to grace. And the opposite of sin is grace, not virtue.” – Philip Yancey

"If you fear you’ve written too many checks on God’s kindness account, drag regrets around like a broken bumper, huff and puff more than you delight and rest, and, most of all, if you wonder whether God can do something with the mess of your life, then grace is what you need." – Max Lucado, Grace

"God’s grace is an essential concept for believers to understand, He freely offers His favor to mankind because Jesus; sacrifice on the cross purchased forgiveness and salvation for anyone who believes." –Charles Stanley

"Ultimately, grace can never be earned. Like all gifts it can only be received, requiring that I simply open my hands and trust." – Mark Yaconelli, The Gift of Hard Things 
"The Gospel of Grace leaves no room for boasting and if we do not let the truth, that grace is unmerited, that the Father is that generous, have full reign in our hearts, then we will always seek to add our tuppence worth (just to be sure)." – Phelim Doherty, By the Grace of God

"The grace that God gives is amazing. Through Jesus, He forgives our sins when we don’t deserve it and have no way to earn it." – Adam Cumpston, 30 Days to Overcoming Depression and Anxiety

"Grace is the first and last moving cause of salvation; and faith, essential as it is, is only an important part of the machinery which grace employs. We are saved ‘through faith,’ but salvation is ‘by grace’." – Charles H. Spurgeon, All of Grace

"When you truly realize what God has done for you, His love, grace and forgiveness begin to transform every area of your life." – Jennifer Carter, Women of Courage

"But God’s grace is also exhibited when we humbly bow before Christ in repentance and faith, for then we find forgiveness. Thank God for His grace, for without it we would have no hope!" Billy Graham, Hope for Each Day

"It is because we are saved by grace that grace then works in our lives to accomplish God’s purposes for us. The Christian life originates in God’s grace and is lived by God’s grace." – Carl R. Trueman, Grace Alone—Salvation as a Gift of God

"This is what grace does. It rescues us from our spiritual blindness. It releases us from our bondage to our rationalism and materialism. Grace gives us the faith to be utterly assured of what we cannot see. It frees us from refusing to believe in anything we cannot experience with our physical senses. But grace does more. It connects us to the invisible One in an eternal love relationship that fills us with joy we have never known before and gives us rest of heart that we would have thought impossible. And that grace is still rescuing us, because we still tend to forget what is important, real, and true. We still tend to look to the physical world for our comfort. We still fail to remember in given moments that we really do have a heavenly Father. Grace has done a wonderful thing for us and continues to do more and more." 
― Paul David Tripp, New Morning Mercies: A Daily Gospel Devotional

"Without a heart transformed by the grace of Christ, we just continue to manage external and internal darkness." ― Matt Chandler, The Explicit Gospel

"Grace is the free, undeserved goodness and favor of God to mankind." – Matthew Henry

“Grace does not depend on what we have done for God but rather what God has done for us. Ask people what they must do to get to heaven and most reply, “Be good.” Jesus’ stories contradict that answer. All we must do is cry, “Help!”” – Philip Yancey

“We are justified, not by giving anything to God, – what we do, – but by receiving from God, what Christ hath done for us.” – William Gurnall​

Isaiah 55:8‭-‬9 CEV The Lord says: “My thoughts and my ways are not like yours.  Just as the heavens are higher than the earth, my thoughts and my ways are higher than yours.

Every time something bad happens, a disaster, a death, an illness, or a financial catastrophe, many people either ask “Why would God allow this to happen” or why did God do this”?  When things happen that don’t appear to make sense, or go against what we think is good, we say God did it or allowed. We say that God does or allows bad stuff because we don’t understand how  a God that we know loves us can allow us go through situations that stretch our abilities as human beings to handle or understand. Why are we struck with a debilitating illness in the prime of life, why does one of our children die young, or  why do we lose a job right after we sign a big mortgage? What about facing foreclosure because we haven’t been able to find a job? Why is your spouse stricken with a chronic illness ending in death. When these things happen in succession we search for answers.    
 
Why am I going through this situation? 

Why did You let that happen? 

Why didn’t You allow me to experience that blessing? 

Although it is human nature to question and try to find the reasoning behind God’s ways, Most of our “why” questions may just  result from ignorance about Who God is or a lack of faith in what He is doing. Let me clarify I’m talking about our lack of faith in what God is doing not a lack of faith in God.

Like Job we may never get a specific answer to our “why” questions. 

Job 38:1‭-‬3 CEV From out of a storm, the Lord said to Job:  Why do you talk so much when you know so little?  Now get ready to face me! Can you answer the questions I ask?​

Here are what Cindi McMenamin calls  “God’s Top 10 Answers to Our ‘Why’ Questions.”   They are all based on Scripture and what it tells us of God’s character.   The answers are Cindi’s the scriptures were added by me.  ​

1. Trust Me. I have My reasons. 

Proverbs 3:5 CEV With all your heart you must trust the Lord and not your own judgment.
 
Romans 8:28‭-‬30 CEV We know that God is always at work for the good of everyone who loves him. They are the ones God has chosen for his purpose, and he has always known who his chosen ones would be. He had decided to let them become like his own Son, so his Son would be the first of many children. God then accepted the people he had already decided to choose, and he has shared his glory with them.
 
2. So you will grow. 

James 1:2‭, ‬4‭-‬4‭, ‬12 CEV My friends, be glad, even if you have a lot of trouble. But you must learn to endure everything, so you will be completely mature and not lacking in anything.   God will bless you, if you don't give up when your faith is being tested. He will reward you with a glorious life, just as he rewards everyone who loves him.
 
3. You never asked.  

Matthew 7:7‭-‬8 CEV Ask, and you will receive. Search, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened for you. Everyone who asks will receive. Everyone who searches will find. And the door will be opened for everyone who knocks.
 
4. You’re asking for the wrong reasons.  

James 4:1‭-‬3 CEV Why do you fight and argue with each other? Isn't it because you are full of selfish desires that fight to control your body? You want something you don't have, and you will do anything to get it. You will even kill! But you still cannot get what you want, and you won't get it by fighting and arguing. You should pray for it. Yet even when you do pray, your prayers are not answered, because you pray just for selfish reasons.
 
5. So you’ll rely on Me. 

1 Peter 5:6‭-‬7 CEV Be humble in the presence of God's mighty power, and he will honor you when the time comes. God cares for you, so turn all your worries over to him.
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Matthew 6:31‭-‬34 CEV Don't worry and ask yourselves, “Will we have anything to eat? Will we have anything to drink? Will we have any clothes to wear?” Only people who don't know God are always worrying about such things. Your Father in heaven knows you need all of these. But more than anything else, put God's work first and do what he wants. Then the other things will be yours as well.  Don't worry about tomorrow. It will take care of itself. You have enough to worry about today.
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6. Just Wait. 

Isaiah 40:31 CEV But those who trust the Lord will find new strength. They will be strong like eagles soaring upward on wings; they will walk and run without getting tired.

Psalms 27:14 NKJV Wait on the Lord ; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord !
 
7. I have something better in mind.  

Jeremiah 29:11 CEV I will bless you with a future filled with hope—a future of success, not of suffering.
 
8. I’m protecting you.

2 Thessalonians 3:3 CEV But the Lord can be trusted to make you strong and protect you from harm.

Isaiah 41:10 CEV Don't be afraid. I am with you. Don't tremble with fear. I am your God. I will make you strong, as I protect you with my arm and give you victories.
 
9. I’m making you more like Jesus. 

Romans 8:29 CEV and he has always known who his chosen ones would be. He had decided to let them become like his own Son, so his Son would be the first of many children.
 
10. Because I love you. 
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1 John 4:8‭-‬10 CEV God is love, and anyone who doesn't love others has never known him. God showed his love for us when he sent his only Son into the world to give us life. Real love isn't our love for God, but his love for us. God sent his Son to be the sacrifice by which our sins are forgiven.
 
Lord, thank You that in spite of your “no” or “wait” or even Your silence, You know what is very best for me and You promise to work for my eternal good, not just my temporary satisfaction. Thank You that in all all situations, in all pain and pressure and circumstances beyond my control, You are making me more like Christ, as I give up my will and surrender to Yours. 

Scripture says without faith it is impossible to please You so I choose to believe that You have it all under control. Thank You for being a good, loving, all-knowing and ever-present God who will not let anything touch me that hasn’t first passed through Your loving hands. In the name of Jesus, Amen. 

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Psalms 123:1‭-‬4 CEV Our Lord and our God, I turn my eyes to you, on your throne in heaven.  Servants look to their master, but we will look to you, until you have mercy on us.  Please have mercy, Lord ! We have been insulted more than we can stand, and we can't take more abuse from those proud, conceited people.

Confidence In The Lord

Psalm 123 is a short but powerful prayer.  It shows that a prayer doesn’t have to be long for it to be fervent.  You can be very profound in a few words if they flow from the spirit and express the things that we feel deep in our hearts.  

Jesus has taught us to look to God in prayer as our Father

Matthew 6:9 CEV You should pray like this: Our Father in heaven, help us to honor your name.

In prayer we lift our concerns, desires, hurt, and pain to our Father; especially when we’re in trouble. We desire mercy from Him, and we wait until it comes.  

When the psalmist said that he turned his eyes to heaven he expected an answer of mercy. We look to God to supply our material needs and for grace as we live in a broken world.

Matthew 6:11 CEV Give us our food for today.

2 Corinthians 12:9 CEV But he replied, “My gift of undeserved grace is all you need. My power is strongest when you are weak.” So if Christ keeps giving me his power, I will gladly brag about how weak I am.

The psalmist says that he’s been insulted and can’t take it anymore, but the confidence that he shows in God causes him to look to heaven for deliverance.  Today, because of Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice and finished work on the cross we can, with confidence, say;

Romans 8:31‭-‬39 CEV  What can we say about all this? If God is on our side, can anyone be against us? God did not keep back his own Son, but he gave him for us. If God did this, won't he freely give us everything else? If God says his chosen ones are acceptable to him, can anyone bring charges against them? Or can anyone condemn them? No indeed! Christ died and was raised to life, and now he is at God's right side, speaking to him for us. Can anything separate us from the love of Christ? Can trouble, suffering, and hard times, or hunger and nakedness, or danger and death? It is exactly as the Scriptures say, “For you we face death all day long. We are like sheep on their way to be butchered.”  In everything we have won more than a victory because of Christ who loves us. I am sure that nothing can separate us from God's love—not life or death, not angels or spirits, not the present or the future, and not powers above or powers below. Nothing in all creation can separate us from God's love for us in Christ Jesus our Lord!

We will find little to no mercy with men but “Nothing in all creation can seperate us from God’s love for us in Christ Jesus our Lord!  

When times get tough and you are “under the gun” look to our Father and by faith and prayer be confident in knowing that His “grace is all you need”.

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The Bible is clear that spiritual warfare exists.  

Ephesians 6:10-12 (NKJV) 10  Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.11  Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.12  For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. (emphasis mine)

If those principalities, powers, rulers of darkness, spiritual hosts of wickedness have moved in on you and they have launched a full scale attack on you and your life, then you will have to go on the offensive and take them out by the  Word of God (the sword of the Spirit) and the power of the Holy Spirit.

The sword of the Spirit is what Jesus used when He resisted Satan and Satan fled.  

Matthew 4:1-11 (NKJV)1  Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.2  And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry.3  Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, "If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread."4  But He answered and said, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.' "5  Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple,6  and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: 'He shall give His angels charge over you,' and, 'In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.' "7  Jesus said to him, "It is written again, 'You shall not tempt the LORD your God.' "8  Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.9  And he said to Him, "All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me."10  Then Jesus said to him, "Away with you, Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.' "11  Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.  (emphasis mine)

If you do not go on the offensive and take them out by the Word of God and the power of the Holy Spirit, then they will stay right where they are at and they will continue to attack, harass, and torment you until you are willing to do something about it.
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31 Spiritual Warfare Scriptures to Read, Pray, and Memorize:

Here are 31 scriptures from the Word of God to put in your offensive arsenal to fight and resist your spiritual enemy. When you resist with these weapons they are guaranteed to flee.  But don't become complacent they will come back and try again, stay ready and be prepared for any attack.  

​The sword of the Spirit, in addition to being an offensive weapon, reminds us that God knows us and understands what we face in this war.  It builds our faith and our trust in God.  It guards our hearts and focuses our minds on God.  When we use the sword of the Spirit we will win the battle.

1. James 4:7‭-‬8 NKJV Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

2. 1 John 4:4 (NKJV) 4  You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 

3. 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 (NKJV) 3  For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh.4  For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds,5  casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, 

4. 1 Peter 5:8-9 (NKJV) 8  Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.9  Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. 

5. Isaiah 54:17 (NKJV) 17  No weapon formed against you shall prosper, And every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, And their righteousness is from Me," Says the LORD.

6. Ephesians 6:11-17 (NKJV) 11  Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.12  For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.13  Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.14  Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness,15  and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;16  above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.17  And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 

7. Romans 8:37 (NKJV) 37  Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 

8. 1 Corinthians 15:57 (NKJV) 57  But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 

9. Zechariah 4:6 (NKJV) 6  So he answered and said to me: "This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: 'Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,' Says the LORD of hosts.

10. 2 Thessalonians 3:3 (NKJV) 3  But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one. 

11. Luke 10:19 (NKJV) 19  Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

12. John 10:10 (NKJV) 10  The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

13. Matthew 18:18-19 (NKJV) 18  Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.
19  Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven.

14. Deuteronomy 28:7 (NKJV) 7  "The LORD will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before your face; they shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways. 

15. John 16:33 (NKJV) 33  These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."

16.1 Corinthians 10:13 (NKJV) 13  No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.

17.  John 8:32 (NKJV) 32  And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."

18. Romans 12:21 (NKJV) 21  Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. 

19. Revelation 12:11 (NKJV) 11  And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. 

20. 1 Timothy 6:12 (NKJV) 12  Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 

21. Matthew 16:18 (NKJV) 18  And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.

22. 1 John 3:8 (NKJV) 8  He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. (emphasis mine)

23.Isaiah 40:31 (NKJV) 31  But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.

24. Joshua 23:10 (NKJV) 10  One man of you shall chase a thousand, for the LORD your God is He who fights for you, as He promised you. 

25. Deuteronomy 3:22 (NKJV) 22  You must not fear them, for the LORD your God Himself fights for you.' 

26.Romans 8:31 (NKJV) 31  What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 

27. Psalm 44:5 (NKJV) 5  Through You we will push down our enemies; Through Your name we will trample those who rise up against us.

28. Joshua 1:9 (NKJV) 9  Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go." 

29. Psalm 18:39 (NKJV) 39  For You have armed me with strength for the battle; You have subdued under me those who rose up against me.

30. Psalm 91:1-4 (NKJV) 1  He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.2  I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust."3  Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler And from the perilous pestilence.4  He shall cover you with His feathers, And under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler.

31.2 Chronicles 20:15 (NKJV) 15  And he said, "Listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat! Thus says the LORD to you: 'Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God's. ​

Genesis 22:2 (ESV)2  He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” 

We tend to follow after the call of God because of the promise of blessings. And those blessings come, but not without hardship and even suffering along with them. There comes a point on the journey in the walk with God where we discover the real blessing is the Lord himself. 

Genesis 15:1 (NKJV)1  After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying, "Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward." 

Sometimes we are praying selfishly wanting to talk to God on our terms not His.  Are we looking to further our relationship or just the results of that relationship?  One guy said that in our approach to God we should seek Him first and not our own happiness because if we seek Him first we will find happiness. 

Matthew 6:33 (NKJV)33  But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 

That includes happiness.  This is one of our favorite scriptures 

Psalm 37:4 (NKJV)4  Delight yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart. 
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Seeking God for the Right Reasons
by Sarah Phillips

For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.  Philippians 1: 21

"God promised to give Abraham a son and finally, after years of waiting, God came through, with Isaac. Why in the world would God ask Abraham to give up that gift? In my opinion, it is for the same reason He asked me to call off my wedding. God wants us to love Him more than we love His promises. The minute we get those out of order, He readjusts us.”

While we don’t fully know the mind of God in Abraham’s situation, Pike’s simple thought sheds light on a struggle I think all of us encounter at some time in our lives – the struggle to love God above everything else, even His blessings. God wants us to love Him because of who He is, not what He can give us. Yet, how often do we confuse our love of God’s promises with love of Him? How often do we see Him as the divine blessing machine, ready to dole out happiness on our terms? The popularity of "prosperity theology" reveals how easy it is for believers to twist love of God into the pursuit of earthly happiness.

To be honest, it’s not just greed that gets in the way of loving God. It’s also a limited understanding of who God is. I used to wonder how some Christians could sit for over an hour praying. Is God really that interesting? I’d wonder. This type of thinking reveals a fundamental flaw in how I perceive God, and I think that flaw is what keeps many from coming to Christ in the first place. It’s easy to see Him as limited like we are limited. It’s easy to forget that God is truly our all in all. As C.S. Lewis once said, “God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing.”

Still, had I not gone through a similar situation, I might not have believed Pike’s sincerity when she says: "I am thankful for His grace that saved me from ruining my life by pursuing my dream."

In a “reach for the stars, be anything you can be” culture, the idea that pursuing any dream could ruin my life seems foreign. The more I think about it, though, the more I see that living outside God’s will – even if it is for a “good reason” – is a recipe for failure.

Yet, when we give up our dreams for something greater - for Someone greater than ourselves - we begin to see we can trust God no matter what. We find solace in the incredible peace that comes with knowing that even if life here includes sorrow or dreams unfulfilled, there is a God that transcends not only all that’s missing in this life, but also all the good this life has to offer.

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The instances of mass murder, hate crimes, and terrorist attacks (many of them being all three) over past few weeks, in fact the past few years have caused many of us to be afraid of being in crowds, going to certain places like shopping malls, even church.  When these things happen we realize that we are not in control of much in our lives and that generates fear. It's at those times we yearn for peace. The kind of peace we had as young children when our parents, grandparents, a guardian, or even social service programs took care of everything. We didn't have to worry about anything. 

Over the next few days I'm going to share some prayers for you to pray at those times when you're having trouble with trust or finding the words to pray above the scary times.  It's at those times you want to know the peace of God which passes all understanding. 


A Prayer for Peace Within

Oh Lord, sometimes my insides feel like a battle zone, where missiles are falling too close to home. Other times I'm caught in an endless storm, with thoughts flying out of control. Confusion reigns, and defeat creeps in to steal my joy. I need your peace—the deep-down-in-your-heart kind that stays with me day and night and speaks confidently into the wind. Calm my anxious spirit, Lord; all the attacking "if-onlys" and "what-ifs" fill me with needless worry.

I know that trust is a big part of experiencing peace and that fear has no place in my life. Most of the things I worry about or dread don't even happen. So I'm declaring my trust in you. I'm releasing the reins of my life again and asking you to take control. I may need to pray this same prayer daily, but I'm tired of the frenzy of life that leaves my schedule and my thoughts without any margin. I need more of you, Lord, and less of me.

I surrender and admit: I can't control people, plans, or even all my circumstances, but I can yield those things to you, and focus on your goodness. Thank you today for every good gift you've given, every blessing you've sent, all the forgiveness I did not deserve, and, yes, for every trial you've allowed into my life. You bring good out of every circumstance if I'll only let go and believe you. I know that when I pray and give thanks instead of worrying, you have promised that I can experience the kind of peace that passes all understanding. That's your kind of peace, Lord. And it's the kind I crave.

Whenever I’m stressed, anxious, or afraid, help me remember to run to you. You're the only one that can calm my fears and end my fretful behavior. Whether in trivial or heavy matters, I know you will not only give me peace; Lord, you will be my peace. And when I draw close to you—in prayer, in reading your Word, in helping another, in taking my mind off myself—you will be there, up close and personal.

I can't handle these times alone, Lord. Will you speak peace and calm my storms, or hold my hand while we walk through them together? Will you bring the reassuring wisdom of those who have come through similar times into my life? Thank you, Lord. I'm trusting you.

In the name of the One who makes the wind and the waves stand still, Amen. ~ Rebecca Barlow Jordan

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Psalms 51:1‭-‬19 NKJV Have mercy upon me, O God, According to Your lovingkindness; According to the multitude of Your tender mercies, Blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions, And my sin is always before me. Against You, You only, have I sinned, And done this evil in Your sight— That You may be found just when You speak, And blameless when You judge. Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me. Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, And in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me hear joy and gladness, That the bones You have broken may rejoice. Hide Your face from my sins, And blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by  Your generous Spirit. Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, And sinners shall be converted to You. Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, The God of my salvation, And my tongue shall sing aloud of Your righteousness. O Lord, open my lips, And my mouth shall show forth Your praise. For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart— These, O God, You will not despise. Do good in Your good pleasure to Zion; Build the walls of Jerusalem. Then You shall be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, With burnt offering and whole burnt offering; Then they shall offer bulls on Your altar.
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​Editor's Note: The following includes some edited content from 8 Steps in Psalm 51 for Real Repentance by Catherine Parks and Confession Isn't Enough, You Need To Repent Too.

Confession Isn’t Sufficient
 
Ezekiel 18:21 (NLT2)21  But if wicked people turn away from all their sins and begin to obey my decrees and do what is just and right, they will surely live and not die.
 
Confession is necessary, but it is not sufficient. Sufficiency is achieved only when confession is connected with repentance. You see, confession is making our sins known—to God, friends, to trusted Christian brothers and sisters.
 
James 5:16 (NLT2)16  Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.
 
Repentance, though . . . repentance involves a turning: turning away from those sins; turning our backs on our old selves. Repentance is saying, we don’t want to be those people anymore. Repentance is turning toward God. It’s a willingness to become new people, loyal followers.
 
2 Corinthians 5:16-17 (NLT2)16  So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now!17  This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!
 
Confession is critical, but it’s only the first step. Repentance is the ultimate step.
 
Ironically, confession requires great courage, but repentance just requires a soft, willing heart. In the parable of the Prodigal Son, Jesus taught that it’s not sin itself that imperils us, but rather a hard, stubborn heart, an unwillingness to turn, an unwillingness to repent. The younger son lived a life with ostensibly more sin. The older brother simply harbored resentment and jealousy. The younger repented of his sins, though; the older did not. The father welcomed the younger and celebrated his return:
 
Luke 15:32 (NLT2)32  We had to celebrate this happy day. For your brother was dead and has come back to life! He was lost, but now he is found!’”
 
The father pleaded with the older to also join in celebration, to soften his heart. He would not.
 
Luke 15:28-31 (NLT2)28  “The older brother was angry and wouldn’t go in. His father came out and begged him,29  but he replied, ‘All these years I’ve slaved for you and never once refused to do a single thing you told me to. And in all that time you never gave me even one young goat for a feast with my friends.30  Yet when this son of yours comes back after squandering your money on prostitutes, you celebrate by killing the fattened calf!’31  “His father said to him, ‘Look, dear son, you have always stayed by me, and everything I have is yours.
 
Without repentance, we continue in our sin. Without repentance, we continue on our own path . . . toward death.
 
Luke 13:1-5 (NLT2)1  About this time Jesus was informed that Pilate had murdered some people from Galilee as they were offering sacrifices at the Temple.2  “Do you think those Galileans were worse sinners than all the other people from Galilee?” Jesus asked. “Is that why they suffered?3  Not at all! And you will perish, too, unless you repent of your sins and turn to God.4  And what about the eighteen people who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them? Were they the worst sinners in Jerusalem?5  No, and I tell you again that unless you repent, you will perish, too.”


8 Steps For Real Repentance Found In Psalm 51

Step 1. Define the sin.

The first step to meaningful confession is understanding what sin is. David uses three different words for it in Psalm 51: “Iniquity,” “sin,” and “transgressions”

Psalms 51:1‭-‬3 NKJV Have mercy upon me, O God, According to Your lovingkindness; According to the multitude of Your tender mercies, Blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions, And my sin is always before me. (emphasis mine).

Each term has been deliberately chosen for its unique meaning in Hebrew. “Transgressions” implies a rebellion against God’s authority and law, “Iniquity” means a distortion of what should be and “Sin” is a missing of the mark. David is making it clear that his sin is deep—there is no minimizing or excusing it.

Step 2. Appeal to God’s mercy

David appeals for forgiveness based on what he knows about God’s character: that God is merciful. David knows that God is committed to him in a relationship (or covenant) of “unfailing love”—and when we come before God in repentance, we do so on the basis of his covenant with us through Christ.

Psalms 51:1 NKJV Have mercy upon me, O God, According to Your lovingkindness; According to the multitude of Your tender mercies, Blot out my transgressions. (emphasis mine).

Step 3. Avoid defensiveness and see God rightly

David’s sin hurt multiple people. He committed adultery, orchestrated a murder, and tried to cover it all up. And yet he says to God;

Psalms 51:4 NKJV Against You, You only, have I sinned, And done this evil in Your sight— That You may be found just when You speak, And blameless when You judge. (emphasis mine).

He says that he has sinned against God only.  How can that be?

Well, if we think of sin as failing to hit the mark, then we have to ask, “Whose mark are we missing?” The answer, of course, is that it’s God’s mark. So although our sin does hurt others, and repenting to those people is important, sin is ultimately against God, since it’s his ways that we have failed to live up to, and his image-bearers whom we hurt.

Step 4. Look to Jesus

David knows that hyssop signifies purification with blood, and he knows that blood alone can make him whiter than snow. 

Psalms 51:7 NKJV Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

What he doesn’t know is how this will be done fully. But we do. Instead of relying on an animal sacrifice, we look to Jesus, who “has appeared once for all at the culmination of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself” 

Hebrews 9:23‭-‬28 NKJV Therefore it  was necessary that the copies of the things in the heavens should be purified with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which  are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; not that He should offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood of another— He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation. (emphasis mine)

His blood is enough to make us “whiter than snow” 

Psalms 51:7 NKJV Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. (emphasis mine)
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​Step 5. Ask God to break you and heal you

Psalms 51:8 NKJV Make me hear joy and gladness, That the bones You have broken may rejoice.

When God reveals our sin to us, it’s painful. David was already a sin-broken man; he just didn’t fully realize it until God sent the prophet Nathan to show him his sin and break him all the way. Like a doctor resetting a fractured bone, it is God who breaks, God who sets, and God who heals.

And this is all mercy: 19th-century British pastor Charles Spurgeon wrote that seeing our weakness, and experiencing God’s power to save, teaches us “a heart-music which only broken bones [can] learn …”

Step 6. Be comforted by the Spirit

The very fact that David is grieved over his sin is a sign that God’s Spirit is at work in him. 

Psalms 51:11 NKJV Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.

This is true for you as well. Have you ever been so discouraged by your sin that you’ve wondered, “How can God love me? Surely I’m not really a Christian.” Take comfort in knowing that the very grief you’re experiencing is a sign that you have the Spirit of God working in you, causing you to hate what God hates.

Step 7. Rejoice and proclaim truth

David is asking God to make him so joyful about his salvation that he can’t help but teach other sinners the forgiving ways of God.

Psalms 51:12‭-‬15 NKJV Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by  Your generous Spirit. Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, And sinners shall be converted to You. Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, The God of my salvation, And my tongue shall sing aloud of Your righteousness. O Lord, open my lips, And my mouth shall show forth Your praise. (emphasis mine)

This is important, because so often we do the opposite—we’re inclined to wallow in our sin and draw back from serving others, whether in church or in our communities, because we think we’re unworthy. But here David says the joy of forgiveness for sin should compel us to speak of that good news with friends, family, co-workers, and neighbors.

Step 8. Resolve to obey

We can check all the boxes, do all the steps above, and say all the right words, but if in the back of our minds we’re planning to sin in the same way again, then grace isn’t truly taking root. What God desires is the mark of true repentance—a heart that is “broken” by sin and truly “contrite”.

As Puritan pastor and writer Thomas Watson wrote, “Till sin be bitter, Christ will not be sweet” (The Doctrine of Repentance, p 63). If we come to God with a heart like that, he “will not despise” it; he will accept it, and accept us, because of Christ’s sacrifice on our behalf.

Psalms 51:17 NKJV The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart— These, O God, You will not despise.

Work through the steps above, and rejoice in the incomparable grace offered to you in Christ!

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