November 11th is Veterans Day. I woke up feeling distressed and somewhat depressed. I knew this stemmed from the residue of emotional grief and trauma I experienced while fighting in Vietnam. In a war zone, you don’t have time to process your emotions, fear, or the loss of a comrade. You simply march on. That is, until it surfaces later in life. Adding to this, the pain of loneliness hurt the most.

     I spend each morning reading my Bible. There is always an inspired “thought” to embrace. Today, it was 2 Timothy 2:1. In this passage, Paul urges Timothy to “Be strong in the grace that is IN Christ Jesus.” What stood out were two things. First, His grace provides strength in times of need. The second is that supernatural grace is found “IN” the person of Christ Jesus. 

     We receive grace through our spiritual relationship, the love connection that binds us together in the Spirit. Here in His presence, we accept the virtues of His divine nature. All that we desire or need comes from the person of Christ, “He shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory” (Ph. 4:19). This is not a theological doctrine, but a spiritual reality. 

    With upraised hands, I offered the sacrifice of praise. With thanksgiving, I expressed my love and adoration for He is worthy to be praised. The Spirit of the Lord came upon me. Instead of feeling trauma, I experienced peace- His peace. His love filled my heart, and His joy set my feet dancing. As King David declared, “In His presence there is fullness of joy” (Psalms 16:11). 

      I no longer felt alone; the Lord was with me! I remembered the Lord’s promise, “I will never leave you, nor forsake you.”  No matter what situation we are going through, He is ever-present to empower our lives with the grace we need. It’s all about relationships. Here in the light of His presence, we experience the joy of fellowship (See 1 John 1-7).

       The apostle Paul states that in his weakness, God’s strength is made perfect. He thus rejoiced in his infirmity, “That the power of Christ may rest upon me” (2 Cor. 12:9). Paul rejoiced not because of his infirmity, but because of the power of Christ that rested upon him. The act of rejoicing during our trials is an act of worship. Worship attracts the presence of God for God inhabits the praises of His people (Psalms 22:3).  When we turn our eyes from ourselves to Him, we can become strong in the grace that is in Christ.  What else do we ever want or need?

    I woke up one way and went to bed another. Finding my resting place, I basked in the empowering presence of my source of life, the Lord Jesus Christ. With gratitude, I loudly proclaim, “Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift” (2 Cor. 9:15). “

 Empowered by the grace of His eternal love – Roy Roden