Power and Grace

Psalm 62

Two things the Psalmist has heard, that the Lord is strong, and that the Lord is loving (verses 11-12). His power would only be terrible without grace. His grace would be ineffective without his power. With him this is a unique and necessary combination. I witnessed a sort of worldly power and grace combined the other day, in a way that I admit rather impressed me.

With some time on our hands older son (12) and I on Monday were strolling along Front Street in Toronto east of the downtown core. There be a Porsche dealership there. So we sort of dusted ourselves off and entered. “Please do not touch,” a sign said. We didn’t. I was rather surprised how many models were on display. We had actually looked around for some time before a very nice lady smiled at us and asked, “May I help you, or are you just looking?” I think she knew the answer. One thought: Porsche = power and gracefulness.

Fast forward a few hours to later in the day. This time Melissa and I are with younger son (10) while older son is occupied (long busy day in the city, won’t bore you with the details). In the waiting area there was a mom dealing, but not really, with 2 boys a little younger than ours who proved to be quite unmanageable, loud, fighting, oblivious to everyone else around – a handful of us in the room trying find somewhere else to put our attention. Reaction of younger son was especially interesting – stunned silence; even he was embarrassed for them (or maybe thinking, “at least I’m/we’re not that bad.”

No evidence of power and grace there in that room then. But then that’s precisely the kind of setting in which God’s power and grace are most to be found.

If you do get yourself a Porsche, the power and grace are ready at hand. But what does it really amount to? (Well, OK, I wouldn’t mind finding out.) It is intriguing that we tend to use this profoundly powerful word, grace, sometimes just for what is stylish, sleek, classy. We also combine the two in athleticism.

But it is where power and grace are least evident or obvious where real power and grace potentially may be found.

Consider:

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8);

or

“But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong” (1 Corinthians 1:27).

The world can mislead us concerning what is real power, and what is full of grace, and how those are combined most powerfully. Thanks to God that he places the combination within us through his Son.

Prayer:
May I glorify you this day and every day, Lord, as the one who is both all power and all love, and completely and perfectly both, for our great blessing, and your own greater glory. Through Christ. Amen.