“By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope” (Romans 5:2-4)
God wants us to have more than a doctrine of grace. He would bring us into an experience of His grace. To that end, He lets us experience trials which in ourselves we have no hope of standing in. Except the grace of God keeps us, we will fall.
Too often we judge ourselves after the flesh, saying: “I can’t do this” or “I would never be able to handle that.” But we are called to put no confidence in the flesh, or our own ability, and to rejoice in Christ Jesus, through whom we can do all things. This needs to be our confession even before it is our experience. But God wants to prove to us that our faith can indeed withstand real-life fires.
Fear causes us to look at ourselves and what we bring to the table. Faith has us looking to Christ and His power that is perfected in our weakness. The more we are willing to face the mountains in our life, the more God is able to give us hind’s feet. And when we stand on the top of our Everest, we will rejoice that nothing is impossible for us when God is our strength. We will possess living proof that He is able to keep us from falling. Begin the climb and let God pleasantly surprise you with His amazing grace by which you stand.