** Continued from the previous 3 days… don’t miss those!
Later that same evening, I went to grab some dinner and for the first time in forever, I sat alone and not one person bothered to talk to me, yet I was in perfect peace. God had, in a miraculous way, moved in my heart and helped me latch on to His wonderful offering of grace. I couldn’t live without it, nor could I take one more step without just accepting God had forgiven me, and the weight of sin was gone. The chains that had held me captive for far too long were broken. Not only had God forgiven me, but I was able to rest and claim that forgiveness for myself.
I spent that evening back at my sister’s sitting alone watching YouTube videos of gospel artists singing the wonderful message of forgiveness. I let them pour into my soul like water on dry, barren ground. I didn’t find out until later, that there were quite a few prayer warriors fighting for me that day. I will be forever grateful for the prayers of those that sought to bring me back to the light and love of my Savior.
What I witnessed over those couple days will forever impact my life. It gave me a new opportunity with my life and my marriage that would otherwise have been over. That God would lead my wife to write a blog about what had happened, and that He would lead me to read it and be convicted in such a way that it would redirect my steps, is something only God could do! The path, though hard, will never be the same because I have chosen to walk so much closer to my Savior, Jesus Christ.
My daily prayer is this: “Jesus, I need you in every moment of my day, please help me stay close to You, and in everything I do, let me be reminded that You are with me in every step. Thank You, God, for allowing me to see my sin, and for working a miracle in my life to bring me to a place where You could move and heal. I love You for what You have done to secure my soul eternally, for what You are currently doing to make me more like You, and for the fresh appreciation I have been given of Your grace towards me. Amen!” There will be many small steps of building trust, respect, and healing back into relationships I had carelessly tossed to the side. One verse stands out to me though, when I think of what is ahead : I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength (Philippians 4:13).
I have included the verses of a hymn that is very special to me. The words that touch me so deeply are these: “wonderful grace of Jesus, greater than all my sin…broader than the scope of my transgressions, greater far than all my sin and shame, O magnify the precious name of Jesus, praise His name!
Wonderful grace of Jesus
Greater than all my sin
How shall my tongue describe it?
Where shall its praise begin?
Taking away my burden, setting my spirit free
For the wonderful grace of Jesus reaches me.
Chorus:
Wonderful the matchless grace of Jesus
Deeper than the mighty rolling sea
Higher than the mountain
sparkling like a fountain
All sufficient grace for even me
Broader than the scope of my transgressions
Greater far than all my sin and shame
O Magnify the precious name of Jesus
Praise His name!
Wonderful grace of Jesus
Reaching to all the lost
By it I have been pardoned
Saved to the uttermost
Chains have been torn asunder, giving me liberty
For the wonderful grace of Jesus reaches me.
Wonderful grace of Jesus
Reaching the most defiled
By its transforming power
Making him God’s dear child
Purchasing peace and Heaven for all eternity
For the wonderful grace of Jesus reaches me.
Hymn by Haldor Lillenas , 1918