grace in the storm

last weekend, mr leif and i went to a marriage conference, given by paul david tripp.

i don't quite have the words to describe it yet.  it was just that good.

for now, i'll just say....if you ever have the opportunity to hear him.  go.  run fast.  get there.

he's good.

on sunday, as sort of the cap to his weekend in KC, he preached the sermon for the church that was hosting the conference.  

and, i'd like to share something with you, from his sermon on sunday morning.

something that stretched my mind to see grace in a different way.

do you remember the story of jesus walking on the water?

it's from mark 6.

anyways, there's this huge storm.  and the disciples were out in a boat.

they were scared.  they were exhausted.  they didn't quite know what to do.

and y'all know jesus had the power to calm those waves from his view at the shore.

i mean, all he would have needed to do was simply say the word, and the storm could cease.

however, do you know what he did?

he walked out to them.

he WALKED OUT to them.

they were out there, in the middle of the sea.

and he walked out, on top of the water, right in the middle of the storm.  to be with them.
he could have rescued them first.
but instead.  he kept the storm going, and let them see, he was right there in the middle of it. with them.

. . .
we might think that his grace came once the storm had calmed, once they had been rescued.

but you know what?

sometimes it's not just the rescuing or the relief that comes to us as his grace.

it's the storm.  it's the trial. and it's the place where we find ourselves exhausted, scared, and confused.  that's when grace comes.  because though he has the power to keep us from our storms, we still go through them.  and he's ALWAYS right there in the middle of them, with us.

he BRINGS us to these places.

it's his grace that brings us TO the hard stuff, and it's his grace that brings us THROUGH it.

he's always there, standing, amongst the waves.  we just need to look for him.

he knows our storms produce perseverance and hope; they produce our faith.

. . .

on sunday as we walked out of church, hearing all about grace in the storm, we found out my dad's brother unexpectedly went to be with jesus.  and as we had lunch, my dad and i couldn't help but reflect back to Tripp's message, helping us to know that Jesus would be right there in the middle of this stormy week.

and today? it's our sweet cousin's one year wedding anniversary, though back in may, she went to be with jesus too.

it's a hard week.

it's a sad week.

you know, we can't always see our trials as gifts while we are enduring them.
and that's ok.
but if we can look back and know, they too, were part god's grace?
grace to stretch us, and shape us, and mold us to be more like him.
then i think we can grasp, even more, the endless love he has for us.

look for him.