Story by Seeds Missionary Josh Houser
Ephesians 2:8 “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.”
In the previous devotion, I talked about how I experienced God's saving grace in my life. In this devotion, I want to talk about another way I experienced his grace, especially through my daughter Kylie. If you watched any of the Seeds Family Worship videos, you know Kylie as “Worship Girl.” She does all the hand motions for the Seeds songs. Kylie is full of joy and loves encouraging others and helping them connect with God's Word.
The other thing you should know about Kylie is that she is full of faith and loves to pray for others. She prays and believes that God will be at work in the lives of those she prays for. Not because of her ability to pray, but because of God's great power and the gift of grace in our lives.
A couple of years ago I was having a hard season. I knew God still loved me and was in control of my life, but there were a number of pressures weighing me down and robbing my joy. Seeds was having some struggles as well and our finances were strained. I needed more help to do all the work we had on our plate. As a result, I was really struggling. This went on for a few months until one day Kylie came to me.
She said, “Dad, I can see that you're struggling. I don't know all the reasons why, but I wanted you to know I've been praying for you. I've been praying for God to bring relief and restore your joy. I wanted you to know that as I've prayed for you, I believe God has given me a word for you. It's the word ‘safe.’ He wants you to know that whatever you're experiencing, he has you kept safe.”
I can't fully explain it, but I have to tell you, when she said that word safe, it was the biggest gift of grace from God I could have received. It was like He reached down and wrapped His arms around me and said “I've got you.”
And so for the next twelve months, whenever I started to feel overwhelmed by circumstances, I would pause and just say out loud “safe.” I even started making the hand motions like an umpire at home plate bringing in the winning run of the World Series. I'd be making coffee, or walking through the living room, or whatever, and break out in a huge “SAFE!” It was the perfect reminder I needed of God's gift of grace in my life in that season.
Ephesians 2:8 says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.” God gave me a word that I needed, to remind me that whatever I was facing, I can rest, knowing God's got this covered. He is in control and he will sustain me.
Has there ever been a moment when you felt overwhelmed by life? How did you get through it? What is one word you can dwell on as a reminder of God's grace in your life?
Take a moment and pray for one member of your family. Pray for them to experience God's grace in this season. PARENT: Let someone volunteer for this. Don’t force anyone to be the focus of attention. If it seems appropriate, allow everyone who wants to pray for that person. If no one volunteers, then just pray that everyone would find one word to dwell on for them.
