As thy days... so shall His grace be.

Recently I have been reading John Piper's book, Future Grace. As far as I understand so far, his thesis in this book is that our faith and obedience are sustained not by gratitude for God's past grace to us, as though we must pay Him back for our salvation (which we obviously never could do); but by expectation of more, future grace. We trust that He will continue to be our Strength and our Redeemer.

So far, in reflecting on this book, I have been humbled by recognizing how God has cared for me and supplied my needs (especially for companionship), during my years of singleness. While I have read these things in Scripture many times, yet it is good to be reminded once again. Piper writes:

We should not be surprised that God gives us wonderful graces in the midst of suffering that we had asked Him to spare us. He knows best how to apportion His grace for our good and for His glory. (p.69)

Do not think that God is ignorant of your needs. He knows all of them. And He is your "heavenly Father." He does not look on, indifferently, from a distance. He cares. He will act to supply your need when the time is right. (p.58)

A verse to which Piper refers, and which has become particularly precious to me, is Deuteronomy 33:25: "As thy days, so shall thy strength be." So far during my adult years of singleness, God has been teaching me (though I am a slow learner) to to shut out anxiety about all the potential years of loneliness in the future, and to trust Him one day at a time for what I need that day. If I should be married in the future, I expect to this "lesson" will be repeated as I learn what it means to be a faithful wife... one day at a time.

Sometimes in the midst of these afflictions and ordinary stresses of daily life we may cry out, "How long, O Lord? I can't see beyond today's pain. What will tomorrow bring? Will You be there for that affliction too?"...The assurance that He will not delay beyond what we can endure and that He will abolish the flaws we bemoan and that He will establish forever what has tottered so long--that assurance comes from "all grace." God is not the God of some grace--like bygone grace. He is the God of "all grace"--including the infinite, inexhaustible stores for future grace. Faith in that grace is the key to enduring on the narrow and hard way that leads to life. (p.70)

Amen. May we have the faith to know that He will continue to sustain us along the narrow path, whereever that path should lead.