Because we do not see God in the way we see other people—in a physical, tangible way—we often shy away from asking Him for help. Sometimes it can take us a long period of time to bend our knees and to ask God to intervene on our behalf. Deep down, we may even wonder if He even knows how difficult we have it on earth. Jesus, God’s only Son, walked on the same earth we do, and He had many of the same experiences we face each day. Even though we may read the Bible daily, we can quickly forget that Jesus experienced life in a similar fashion to us. When we hear about the ordeals that others are enduring—ordeals we have experienced in the past—our ears perk up. Instantly, we can relate to their situation. We know what it’s like to suffer like they are, to keep battling in a seemingly hopeless fight. And compassion oozes from us as we make every effort to assist them through their hardships. Although we may not quickly think of Jesus as someone who has experienced what we are feeling, He has. All the pain we have felt He has felt—every last twinge of it. And because of that, He wants to help us in our times of weakness. God’s grace gives us confidence as we realize that He cares about us deeply. He also wants to intervene in our lives because He has been there. He has walked more than a mile in our shoes and knows the daily trials and temptations we face. God is not a distant stranger but an intimate friend who wants to share in our experiences. Will you trust Him with your life today? Prayer: Lord, thank You for Your mercy, grace, and compassion. Give me confidence to come boldly to You in challenging times. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.

In 2 Corinthians 8-9, Paul deals extensively with what it means to practice grace giving. In fact, in these two chapters alone, the word “grace” is mentioned six times. We learn from these chapters that grace giving is God-honoring. When everything is going well in your life and you give God the crumbs, you are not honoring God. But when everything is blowing up in your face and you give to God sacrificially, you honor God—something He will never forget. Problems are a part of living, but don’t use problems as an excuse not to practice generosity. It is because of the grace that we have freely received that we can be sympathetic with other people’s trials. Our trials give us the ability to minister to others with compassion. That is the difference the grace of God makes, and that is why the apostle Paul writes, “In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity” (2 Corinthians 8:2). What did they have to be joyful about when they were in the midst of severe trials? Well, they had joy in the fact that God’s grace was poured out upon them. That is truly enough to make you joyful until you close your eyes in death. They had joy in the fact that they had been brought by God out of darkness and into light and that they were on their way to eternity in heaven. Prayer: God, I pray that I would honor You as I practice grace giving. When I am in the midst of trials, help me to remember that because Your grace has been poured out on me, I have a reason to be joyful. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Have you ever had a confidant—someone you knew you could count on when life turned dark and stormy? Have you ever played sports and had one teammate who you knew could win the game for you, no matter how far behind you were? Have you ever experienced someone meeting your biggest need when you least expected it? Just when we think we are finished, God begins a new work in our lives. Just when we think we have made a mess not even God can clean up, He redeems our messes. God’s grace gives us confidence because He does things in our lives we could never do. He transforms and changes us into new people. He takes the messes we make and converts them into works of art. Suddenly, we are not helpless people, limping through life without hope or purpose—we are people with vision, racing down God’s perfect path for our lives. Paul knew this as well as anybody. Before he came to Christ, he was a scoundrel, a murderer, and a hypocrite. He was full of the law and knew nothing of grace. But God so transformed Paul’s life that this pious aristocrat became God’s mouthpiece during the birth of the new church. Paul went from condemning Christians to walking side by side with them. Today, as you think about the change God has wrought in your own life, praise Him for doing what no one else could do. He rescued you from eternal death. He cleansed the stains of sin from your heart. And now He has an incredible plan for your future—just look at His incredible promises to you in His Word (see Philippians 1:6; 1 Peter 1:3-4; Lamentations 3:21-23; Revelation 21). Prayer: Lord, thank You for bringing me from death to life. Your grace is more than enough to transform me. Show me places in my heart You desire to change in me today. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.