He sticks up for me?

So my friend Courtney and I have started our Bible Study - well, it's not really a Bible Study per se, it's more of a Spiritual Exercise, that's going to last a really long time - that's been done for centuries and was written by a monk, and we are pumped about it. But I'll get on with it.

This is the first week, and I'm on day 3. Of course I want it to immediately change my life, I have always struggled with patience, I know - you're all shocked. So my prayer today was for that - for patience to allow God to begin changing me, day by day, week by week, until I am a little bit different then than I am today. Progress - not that I have achieved perfection, but that I press on toward the goal... Yeah, that.

But it's already cool. The assignments are different. They make you read, and listen, and use your imagination, which is fun. On day one we were to read Luke 15:1-7 and pretend we were there watching what was going on. I'll leave it to you to read it, but it's when Jesus is talking with a group of riff-raffians and some religious leaders come along and chastise Him for it, and He tells the story of the lost sheep. Afterwards, in my reflection, I wrote this...

"...God’s grace in this is that He welcomes folks like me, to Him, who’s SO NOT LIKE ME. But on top of that – He stands up for me. I think that’s the part that tugs at my heart more than any other – it’s not just that He befriends me, but He sticks up for me and stands up for my character, even when other’s attack it. Even when I know that there are things in it that aren’t very sticking-up-for-worthy, you know? He’s not ashamed of me, nor is He afraid to go to bat for me. He is God, He can do whatever He wants to, and He doesn’t have to do any of that. Yet He does.

Isn’t that the nature of grace – doing what He doesn’t have to do just because He can, and because I need the help? That’s a pretty cool God..."

Today, our passage to read was Romans 8:26-34. It's a passage I've read all my life, so I went and looked it up in some different versions, you know, variety is the spice of life! And I love reading scripture in different ways, especially those passages that seem to be burned into our memories from childhood Sunday School Classes. This is a great one, though, one that has meant a lot to me a lot of times in my life - reminding me that the Holy Spirit intercedes for me and prays for me when I don't even have words. That is such a sweet picture to me, on those dark nights of the soul when you go to the Father and just sit, wordless - He knows the words and He prays them for us. That is priceless to me. But then it goes on to talk about how with God on our side, who can be against us? This is what The Message says...

"With God on our side like this, how can we lose? If God didn't hesitate to put everything on the line for us, embracing our condition and exposing himself to the worst by sending his own Son, is there anything else he wouldn't gladly and freely do for us? And who would dare tangle with God by messing with one of God's chosen? Who would dare even to point a finger? The One who died for us—who was raised to life for us — is in the presence of God at this very moment sticking up for us!"

Ummm... how sweet is that?!?!

God’s care and nearness. His interceding. His sticking up for me. What a cool God I serve.

The end of my assignment tonight asked me where God's grace is in all of this.

God’s grace is all over this….