Sustaining Grace = ?

Not grace to bar what is not bliss,
Nor flight from all distress, but this:
The grace that orders our trouble and pain,
And then, in the darkness, is there to sustain.

- John Piper (Perhaps one of the best theologians of our time)

I definitely think we sometimes use the word 'grace' too loosely. We hear it all the time. "By God's grace we have a child without any physical or mental defects." or "By God's grace we avoided any accidents on that dangerous stretch of road" or even "By God's grace I had just enough money to pay for my groceries at the check-out"...


The Bible-in-a-year guide is taking me through Jeremiah these few weeks. Living in the 21st century, it is not always easy to be able to relate to events in Israel back in 500 something BC, especially Jeremiah's prophecies of constant threats of death and destruction and invasion and disaster etc facing Israel. That's why I listen to (good) sermons. And so I was reminded by John Piper that amidst all the threats of doom in Jeremiah, God's promise is lodged in there somewhere...

Jeremiah 32:36-41

Now therefore thus says the Lord God of Israel concerning this city of which you say, "It is given into the hand of the king of Babylon by sword, by famine, and by pestilence," 37 "Behold, I will gather them out of all the lands to which I have driven them in My anger, in My wrath, and in great indignation; and I will bring them back to this place and make them dwell in safety. 38 And they shall be My people, and I will be their God; 39 and I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear Me always, for their own good, and for the good of their children after them. 40 And I will make an everlasting covenant with them that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; and I will put the fear of Me in their hearts so that they will not turn away from Me. 41 And I will rejoice over them to do them good, and I will faithfully plant them in this land with all My heart and with all My soul." 42 For thus says the Lord, "Just as I brought all this great disaster on this people, so I am going to bring on them all the good that I am promising them."

Evidently, grace didn't spare calamity upon the Israelites. They had it tough - "by sword, by famine, and by pestilence", as the Israelites themselves described it. These are God's chosen people. Nor will grace spare us from calamity. But that's not the end of it. It is God who has the last word - his promise to save and restore.

God might not stop that car accident, or might not let you have a superficially perfect child, or probably won't stop a church building from burning down. But grace is the light and relief amidst darkness and pain.

Not grace to bar what is not bliss,
Nor flight from all distress, but this:
The grace that orders our trouble and pain,
And then, in the darkness, is there to sustain.