Sometimes I forget that Jesus cares about the little things. Throughout His earthly ministry, though His gaze was often fixed on the larger mission of the cross, He always took the time to meet the needs of individuals—the paralyzed man’s shame over his sin, the bleeding woman’s fear of being discovered, the centurion’s worry for his sick servant. He died to save us, but he lived to show us His love.
But often, I forget about His love in the cares and worries of everyday life. He is always so gracious to remind me of it.
Two weeks ago, I blogged about my desires for 2016 to be a year of new beginnings and referenced Isaiah 43:18-19—“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” Only a few days later, the same verse came up during a prayer at a work meeting, and I sensed his nudging reminder: “Slow down. Don’t move away from this one too quickly. I have something to show you.”
I love you.
Earlier this week, I was driving to work, and the song “Wonderful, Merciful Savior” began to play. I was caught by the lyrics:
You offer hope when our hearts have
Hopelessly lost our way
Oh, we’ve hopelessly lost the way.
. . . You give the healing and grace
Our hearts always hunger for
Oh, our hearts always hunger for.
It was a message I needed that day, but I was in a hurry, and as I started work, I forgot about the song. But not two hours later, I heard the same words come filtering through my headphones on Pandora, and with it came His gentle reminder. “I know your heart, your failures and fears. I’m here.”
I love you.
His sweet grace astounds me sometimes. The big things are wonderful, but they’re also the things I expect from a big God. The little things are unexpected, and they are what bring me through from day to day.
They’re also the things I fail to see. His little graces come so frequently that I tend to miss them in the frantic hurry of my day-to-day routine. That’s why I needed to pause today. To thank Him. To be still long enough to look and listen for His presence in my day.
Will you listen with me?