For the Lord God is a sun and shield; The Lord will give grace and glory. (Psalm 84:11)
Notice what we do not read in today’s verse: we do not read that the Lord will give His children gold, grace, and glory; rather, the psalmist only promises that the Lord God will give grace and glory. If the Lord gives some of His people gold in abundance—and He has on several occasions—then praise His mighty name! But Christians have never been and never will be promised gold on this side of heaven. But what has been promised to the adopted children of God is grace and glory.
Make no mistake, the Lord frequently gives His people great gain in temporal things, especially in the United States. But every great gain that we receive is to be used for His glory and the expansion of His kingdom. Remember, everything you have has been given to you, no matter how hard you worked for it. Every breath you take and every beat of your heart is a gift from God . . . and that gift comes under the heading of grace. “What do you have that you did not receive?” the apostle Paul asked rhetorically (1 Corinthians 4:7). Everything we have is a gift from God; God is gracious to us every moment of every day.
Let’s take notice of something else that the psalmist does not say: he does not say, “The Lord may give grace and glory.” No, he says, “The Lord will give grace and glory.” Grace is a promise from God. Granted, this grace often comes shrouded in the shadows of storm winds. I have noted several times in these articles that God has promised that we will experience trials and tribulations. But God will always give to us in proportion, and He has promised to supply all the grace we need to sustain us in every wave of challenge that washes over us.
No trial has overtaken you that is not faced by others. And God is faithful: He will not let you be tried beyond what you are able to bear, but with the trial will also provide a way out so that you may be able to endure it. (1 Corinthians 10:13 NET)
Paul was confined to cold prison cells while he wrote much of the New Testament. Yet God gave Paul abundant grace to pen the inspired Word of God. And there is grace enough for you to do all God is calling you to do, regardless of the circumstances you are facing.
In addition to grace, God will give us glory, a sure and certain promise that awaits us on the other side of the grave. We work our way through this life by sustaining grace, but what should greatly encourage us along the way is the glory that awaits us, glory that eye has not seen and ear has not heard. It is, in a word, glory unspeakable!
Throughout whatever time God has given to each of us on this earth, let us be content to eat the grapes of sustaining grace, knowing that one day soon we shall drink the wine of glory forever and ever . . . Amen.
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!
Grace for the Race 