Places of Grace

“Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘Let your hands be strong, you who have been hearing in these days these words by the mouth of the prophets, who spoke in the day the foundation was laid for the house of the Lord of hosts, that the temple might be built. For before these days there were no wages for man nor any hire for beast; there was no peace from the enemy for whoever went out or came in; for I set all men, everyone, against his neighbor. But now I will not treat the remnant of this people as in the former days,’ says the Lord of hosts. ‘For the seed shall be prosperous, the vine shall give its fruit, the ground shall give her increase, and the heavens shall give their dew—I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these. And it shall come to pass that just as you were a curse among the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, so I will save you, and you shall be a blessing. Do not fear, let your hands be strong.’” (Zechariah 8:9-13, NKJV)

God’s people had ignored God and experienced the consequences. This passage describes them back at the task of rebuilding their place of worship and God’s promises to bless them, but they were not to take His blessing for granted.

My body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, a place where God dwells and wants to make Himself known. The building of this ‘place of worship’ is a work of God, an amazing grace that I could never do myself. Yet, just as the Israelites were to ‘let their hands be strong,’ I’ve a part in it too. I can’t expect God to automatically make of me a holy temple without my hands-on cooperation.

I’ve sometimes called spiritual disciplines “places of grace.” Activities like reading the Bible, prayer, worship, confession, etc. in themselves cannot make me more godly—only God can do that—however, they put me in a place where God can work. If I ignore them, I put my spiritual life into a box where it cannot grow because I am saying no to God.

Spiritual disciplines help me stay open to the Holy Spirit. When I read the Bible and talk to God in prayer, I hear Him speak. When I praise and worship who He is and what He does, my faith is focused and strengthened. When I meditate on the things He is teaching me, I’m far more able to make those lessons part of my life. When I stop striving and live in simplicity, I discover His amazing ability to provide all my needs.

Other places of grace include study, fasting, submission, service and celebration. Each of these bring me closer to God. The value of being close to Him is that the more I look into His face, the less focused I am on myself, my worries, my this, my that—and the more He changes me to reflect His image.

Discipline is not everyone’s favorite word. For some, it is harsh and unappealing. For others, it might even connote pain. My prayer for those who have difficulty with discipline is that they will realize these activities are not harsh or demanding, but ‘places of grace’ where they will discover the liberty and blessing that God has for them!