A Weekend Walk ~ Awakening to His Grace
I woke up this morning with this song by Matt Redman going through my head.
It’s there in the newborn cry, There in the light of every sunrise
There in the shadows of this life, Your great grace
It’s there on the mountain top, There in the everyday and the mundane
There in the sorrow and the dancing, Your great grace
Oh such grace
From the creation to the cross, There from the cross into eternity
Your grace finds me, yes your grace finds me
As you listen you realize its message is that God’s grace is absolutely EVERYWHERE. Every single place our life takes us, His grace finds us. Whether it’s morning or evening, at a soccer game or camping. At a family reunion or planting tomatoes. Yes, your grace finds me.
As we struggle with our marriage, or wonder about that next doctor appointment. Yes, your grace finds me.
As we grieve over a loss, or make that tough decision. Yes, your grace finds me.
Oh, such grace.
As our weekend approaches, I want us to take some time to be intentional. I want us to take a Weekend Walk. And here’s why.
Ephesians can be split right down the middle. The first half is content full of the glorious riches of His grace given to us, offering up details of how God orchestrated it for all. These first three chapters provide example after example of His incredible love and kindness and grace, and how it’s available to us all. Then as we cross into the second half and begin with verse 1 of Chapter 4, it says this:
“Therefore, walk in a manner worthy of your calling.”
In other words, because of everything you’ve just read in chapters 1 through 3, walk in response to this amazing Truth. Because of all of this, walk well.
For each of these four weeks in June as we look at this message of Grace, I want us to walk well. This can’t be just head-knowledge ladies, because everything in this life and the next is based on grace. God’s amazing grace towards us offers us the very salvation of our souls. It ushers in forgiveness when we are full of sin. His grace allows us to see life with hope and healing.
For these four weekends in June I want us to become awakened to His grace through walking.
So here’s what I’m asking…
Walk. Take some time this weekend to take a walk. This can look several different ways, it can be a long extended hike, or a walk around the block. It can be a walk down your street, or a walk through a nearby park. (If you are wheelchair bound, and that is how you “walk”, you are right there with us!) The time and length is not the focus, the focus is this:
- Notice the physical act of moving and walking. As you move and go forward, breathe deeply. Breathe in the freshness and the freedom of physically moving. A couple weeks ago my husband convinced me to go on a hike (I had four million other things I wanted to do), but once I got out there I noticed there was something incredibly life-giving to the act of moving and walking.
- Focus your thoughts on this week’s theme. This week’s theme, His GRACE AWAKENED in our lives. As you walk, talk to the Lord about this…
- Praise Him – praise Him intentionally for this abundance poured out
- Thank Him – offer heart-filled thanksgiving for His forgiveness, His kindness
- Recognize – recognize where His grace has been awakened in you personally this week
- Ask – ask the Lord where your heart may be unaffected or unaware of His grace
- Open yourself to LISTEN – still your thoughts to hear from Him, what He may be speaking to your heart
- Breathe again. Breathe in the beauty and the simplicity around you. Breathe deeply as you walk, ushering in a space to clear the distractions of your mind and focus solely on our good and gracious God.
I believe that as we set aside intentional time to be with the Lord, the benefits of it will spill over into the every day dailyness of our life. As we take this intentional time to physically walk, He will then strengthen us in our every day lives to walk well, to walk with eyes awakened to His grace.
With so many of you here, I do not pretend to know where you may be, where your week may have taken you. I do not intend to minimize your hurt or your struggles with a simple walk. I know women who have had horrendous weeks filled with pain beyond compare. But His grace finds us, there in the darkest night of the soul. There in the sweetest songs of victory. His grace finds us.
Take time this weekend for a walk. Here’s this amazing song by Matt Redman. Put on some headphones and listen as you walk.
Walk. Breathing in His grace and breathing out His praise.
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If you missed this week’s post on Grace Awakened, you can find it here.
How has His grace been awakened in you this week? We would love to hear from you, feel free to leave your comments below.
For additional encouragement and community throughout the week, find us on Facebook at facebook.com/womenwhobelieve.
Invite your friends to join us, from across the street or across the world. Let’s live and breathe His grace together!