Amongst a variety of things I do at our church, I lead a bible study for a group of women every Tuesday morning. We are currently (slowly) working our way through the book of Acts, which has been an incredibly life-giving endeavor.
As we have worked through Acts, one recurring theme is that an extraordinary miracle will happen
(like the coming of the Holy Spirit and the healing of a crippled beggar), the
witnesses will be filled with awe and wonder, and Peter will preach a sermon to
explain the significance of the event. In Peter’s sermon in Acts 3, he
presents the gospel in a compelling and convicting way and then calls for the
people to repent.
But the interesting aspect for me, that I’ve been mulling
over for weeks, is Peter’s declaration that the grace of God brings ‘times of
refreshing’ from the Lord. The word, in its original language, was used to
speak of a good drink of water; of Sabbath for slaves and animals; of the
soothing of Saul’s spirit by David’s music; of respite from the plagues for
Pharaoh; of the end of slavery in the Psalms. I don’t know about you, but that
sort of grace sounds amazing, incredible, and refreshing. In a world of
constant and extreme expectations and pressure, a grace that refreshes sounds like
an oasis in the desert.
Wherever you are today – however easy or hard life might
feel – I pray that you would experience the refreshing grace of God. I pray
that Jesus would meet you anew with the words of an easy yoke and a light
burden. May you truly sense the peaceful refreshment of the Lord.
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