Week 3 | Day 2 | Grace Amongst Tragedy

Command:

Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:44-45 (NIV)

Read:

Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep. Acts 7:60 (NIV)

Reflect:

The gift of grace comes from God. It is through him we are able to supernaturally give grace to others. A perfect example is the story of American missionary, Elisabeth Elliot, whose husband Jim died a violent death at the hands of the Huaorani Indians in Ecuador in the 1950’s. Their call to mission work in the jungle of Ecuador led to the death of her husband. She chose to stay and continue their mission. Over time she came to live amongst the very tribe that savagely murdered her husband. This same group became believers in Christ, which eventually resulted in a huge decrease of violent behaviors amongst the tribe.

Elisabeth believed that “As long as this is what the Lord requires of me, then all else is irrelevant.” She believed the Lord’s grace was sufficient for her even within the tragedy of losing her husband. This grace empowered her to continue to do the will of the Lord. The same grace Elisabeth gave to her husband’s murderers eventually changed the hearts of this population, who were so far from the Lord, so that she could then welcome them as brothers and sisters in Christ.

React:

Do not let tragedy or offense stop you from doing the will of God. To whom do you need to give grace?

Pray:

Lord, Thank you for the gift of grace. Help me to soften my heart towards my offenders and offer grace.