God's grace as a safety net? A new idea with a story, an observation and a prayer

SCRIPTURE: Luke 2:40

There the child (Jesus) grew strong in body and wise in spirit. And the grace of God was on him. They found him in the Temple.

STORY as told by Richard Baxter:

During the building of the Golden Gate Bridge over San Francisco Bay, construction fell badly behind schedule because several workers had accidentally fallen from the scaffolding to their deaths. Engineers and administrators could find no solution to the costly delays. Finally, someone suggested a gigantic net be hung under the bridge to catch any who fell. Finally in spite of the enormous cost, the engineers opted for the net. After it was installed, progress was hardly interrupted. A worker or two fell into the net but were saved. Ultimately, all the time lost to fear was regained by replacing fear with faith in the net. As we paid nothing for God's eternal love and nothing for the Son of His love, and nothing for His Spirit and our grace and faith, and nothing for our eternal rest...What an astonishing thought it will be to think of the immeasurable difference between our deserving’s and our receiving’s. O, how free was all this love, and how free is this enjoyed glory...So then let "Deserved" be written on the floor of hell but on the door of heaven and life.

OBSERVATION:

Thinking of grace as a “safety net” is a new concept for me … and probably for a lot of us. Thank you Mr. Baxter for the idea, concept, thought … it is a refreshing awakening to the immense richness of God’s love for us.

But thinking of Jesus needing a “safety net” does present a challenge. After all, wasn’t he the Son of God? Wasn’t he there at the foundation of the world? Wasn’t the Holy Spirit on him? Wasn’t he just doing what the Father wanted him to do? A safety net? Seems a little ludicrous to me, but there it is … “the grace of God was upon him” … God throwing the safety net even for his son. Wow!

Fear is replaced with faith … knowing that if we fall God is there to catch us with his grace … his safety net. Kind of makes living a whole lot easier doesn’t it. Kind of makes taking chances in life more of an exciting venture instead of a risky move. Kind of makes the summons to follow, leaving everything behind, a lot more fun instead of action followed by a lot of question marks. Fear is replaced with faith … because of God’s grace.

Personally, I’m glad that we don’t get what we deserve, aren’t you!

PRAYER:

Thank you God for your safety net that keeps me from falling to the point of hurting myself. Thank you for your grace. Thank you!