It's In The Knowing Where Grace and Peace Are Multiplied

One of the most wonderful things about knowing God is that there’s always so much more to know, so much more to discover. Just when we least expect it, He intrudes into our neat and tidy notions about who He is and how He works. ~Joni Eareckson Tada

Do you know what I like about this quote? I like how Joni describes an aspect of God's grace toward us:

"He intrudes into our neat and tidy notions about who He is and how He works."

I can certainly relate to having had my neat and tidy notions about who God is and how He works disrupted. You might wonder what it is about the "intrusion" that I believe is grace. To understand, we have to know what grace is.

The word grace is the Greek word charis and it means-

undeserved, unmerited favor
divine influence upon the heart and its reflection in the life
the merciful kindness by which God, exerting his holy influence upon souls, turns them to Christ, keeps, strengthens, increases them in Christian faith, knowledge, and affection, and kindles them to the exercise of the Christian virtues

First of all, I don't believe God is intruding at all. It can feel like an intrusion because sometimes It's easier to put God in a box we've designed and wrap the package in pretty paper topped with the largest, shiniest bow we can imagine rather than face the reality of who He is.

I believe the perceived intrusion is grace because through the disruption, whatever it may be, God is demonstrating that He loves us so much He is willing to allow us to feel uncomfortable so we would reach an understanding we never would have reached on our own. Through His merciful kindness and the work of the Holy Spirit, God exerts his holy influence upon our souls and gives us knowledge. By putting God in a neat and tidy box we've designed we inhibit ourselves from plumbing the depths of his character, inspecting the facets of his unique qualities, and familiarizing ourselves with his nature and his voice as he traverses the valleys and mountains of life with us.

"May grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord. His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness." 2 Peter 1:2,3

Knowledge in this verse is the Greek word epignosis, and it means precise and correct knowledge, recognition, and full discernment.

Until the moment we exhale our last breath, there will always be deeper depths and distinct facets of God's character to explore and it's in the plumbing of these depths, through the work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts and minds where grace and peace are multiplied.

Why are grace and peace given in abundance through recognizing, discerning, and having precise and correct knowledge about God and Jesus our Lord?

Think about your spouse or maybe a friend, who you trust. Chances are that trust has been built over time and continues to be built in a myriad of ways. The more time you spend with that person, the more diverse the life circumstances you experience together, the more you observe their responses, the more you listen, ask questions, and learn from that person, the better you understand them, the more influence they have on and in your life, and you can receive their advice, guidance, and correction.

It is similar to our heavenly Father, although infinitely superior.

We become what we behold. We reflect what we worship. The more time we spend beholding Him and becoming deeply acquainted with Him, the more of His divine and holy influence will be applied to our lives.

God's divine influence-

turns us toward our Savior, Jesus
strengthens us
increases our faith in Jesus and our affection for Jesus
helps us know Him better
kindles a desire in our hearts to live within the life-giving boundaries He has given us

God's grace is like nothing else. Even though we are undeserving of His kindness, He lovingly and faithfully gives it to us to strengthen us and kindle our love, devotion, and desire for Him, not because He is some narcissistic, control-hungry god, but because He is good. Like 2 Peter 1:3 states, He gives us everything we need for a godly life: a life lived in awe of and dependant on the One who created us.

The Word (Jesus) 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. For from his fullness, we have all received, grace upon grace. John 1:14,16

Jesus, who willingly stepped down from heaven to live as a human and ultimately, give his life as a payment for our sins, is full of grace and truth, and from His abundance, we receive grace. Jesus always has more grace to give. This is why we receive grace in abundance through time spent getting to know him because He is our source of grace.

Let's consider why peace is multiplied.

Since sin entered this world, our lives have been torn apart by sin (our own and others) and sin's effects. Sin and its effects have caused us to become deeply acquainted with death, grief, loss, pain, and suffering of all kinds. Nothing in this world can give us the peace 2 Peter 1:2 speaks about. The word peace in this verse is the Greek word eirene and it is the New Testament word for the Hebrew word shalom. Shalom means complete, safe, sound, healthy, and whole. God is our Creator. He intimately formed us in our mothers' wombs. He doesn't need to come to the correct and precise knowledge of who we are. He already understands us perfectly. We are fully known and loved by Him. Because He made us and because we are fully known and loved by Him, He understands and has exactly what we need to become healthy and whole.

The more time we spend with our Creator, the more we expose ourselves to His healing influence. As we get to know Him, we learn to trust Him and submit ourselves to his loving, tender, and expert care.

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. John 14:27

He is our peace. He is the only one who can make us right with God the Father and He is the only one who can transform our broken lives, torn apart by sin and its effects, into healthy and whole lives.

In light of these truths, I desire to encourage us to spend time with Jesus. How? By studying His Word and talking to Him. Prayer doesn't have to be fancy. Thank Him, ask questions, tell Him how you feel, cry, scream, cast all of your cares, big and small, on Him. He is big enough for all of it, and remember the Holy Spirit and Jesus are already continually intervening on our behalf.

When disruptions come through sudden change, suffering, and situations we don't comprehend or readily feel God's goodness in, I want to encourage us to remember that Jesus is traversing the valleys with us, He is faithfully by our side, and through the disruptions, He can reveal depths of His love, facets us his faithfulness, and other parts of His character that we did not understand before. In these valleys, He can give us peace in abundance. It doesn't make sense that we would have peace in difficulty, but God works through it to bring healing and wholeness to our hearts and minds. How good He is.

May grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord.

Sincerely,

Amy