Read: Ephesians 2:1-10
It is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God. (v. 8 NIV)
There are times when we experience a moment that renders us speechless. The presence of something great before us, like a beautiful painting or performance; or the result of news so crushing might mean we can’t utter a sound. Another instance when we might be at a loss for words is when someone blesses us in a way we never could have imagined; with an unexpected financial gift or the kind of necessary help they didn’t even know we needed.
I believe acts of forgiveness and grace can have the same effect. Perhaps there has been a time when someone you deeply hurt or cheated or judged gave you one of these undeserved gifts, leaving you silent or overwhelmed. If so, I hope that experience changed your life in some way. Or maybe there was a time when God called to you to forgive someone who wronged you. In obediently extending grace, whether the person was aware of it or not, it’s also likely your life was changed.
If you are a believer in Jesus, you have received the new life that Jesus willingly guaranteed for all who believe through his death on the cross and his resurrection from the dead. This act of ultimate grace renders me speechless, and I am content to sit in awe and gratitude. How truly “from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace” (John 1:16).
As you pray, sit silently in God’s grace, humbled and grateful.
About the Author
Joy Petroelje serves as the grants manager for a faith-based international nonprofit organization. Aside from work, she enjoys family time, coffee or dinner with friends, writing, reading, and running.
