Amazing Grace
God’s Amazing Grace
Welcome to Daily Hope from Victory Lutheran Church and thank you for sharing part of your day with us.
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If you are a regular to Daily Hope you may not recognize me, I’m Susan Westland, Victory’s new Church Chaplin and I am excited to be serving God’s people here in Mesa AZ.
You may be wondering what a church Chaplin is, so did I when I first heard about the opening. A church Chaplin is someone who tends to the spiritual and emotional needs of the congregation. As such I will be visiting many of you in a time of spiritual need as I strive to bring the calming presence of Jesus and the Holy Spirit into the chaos you may be facing.
It is a big task, but not an overwhelming one for you see, I am excited to know I will not be doing it alone.
I know I have the support of Pastor Todd, the staff here at Victory, and all of you, but most assuredly I know I will have the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit to help me serve all of you in your time of great need.
You know, as I begin my journey at Victory and with all of you, the Holy Spirit has encouraged me to reflect on one of my all-time favorite hymns that starts out, “Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now I’m found, was blind but now I see.
Amazing grace, God’s amazing grace,
The Bible tells us that it is by God’s amazing grace that we have been saved, through faith.
Ephesians 2 verses 8-9 tells us that:
8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9)
You know, it is no ordinary grace that sends the Holy Spirit to reside in the hearts of all believers, giving us the strength, the resilience, the joy and passion we need in our daily lives.
It is no passive grace that reflects the brilliance of God’s amazing love, whether it is shining in a royal palace, around a kitchen table when loved ones gather to share a meal, at the end of a devastating phone call when tragic news is spoken, or in a lonely room when out of a deep lament of the soul we cry out – “where are you God?”
The hymn continues, “Through many dangers, toils, and snares, I have already come, this grace that brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home.”
Yes, God’s amazing grace, spoken to a weary soul in need, or a soul rejoicing in the Lord, is indeed a sweet sweet sound.
May I close by encouraging you today? And by reminding you that you too are never alone, for God’s Holy Spirit is always with you, Jesus, our Immanuel, is still our God who is always with us.
So remember, God’s grace feeds our spirits. God’s amazing grace encourages us, renews us, brings us peace, restores our souls, as we draw close to Him in prayer, or through the reading/studying of His word, or when we are ministering to others.
And when we do these things, the brilliance of God’s grace touches us and the people we are connected to every day.
I look forward to meeting all of you and to share in what God is doing here at Victory. Let’s pray.
Almighty God, thank You that You loved the world so much that You gave Your only Son Jesus to the world so that all who believe in Him will not perish, but will have eternal life. Thank You Jesus for Your amazing grace, strengthen us, encourage us, be present with us today, give us hope in our times of great joy, and in our times of great trial we pray in Jesus name – Amen!
More about our Daily Devotionals on our playlist!
Pray with us!