Haldor Lillenas’s great hymn “Wonderful Grace of Jesus” is
aimed at making one point very clear - the grace of God is wonderful. Each stanza begins with “wonderful grace of
Jesus” and each stanza ends with “wonderful grace of Jesus”. We have reached “W” and that will be for the
wonderful grace of Jesus.
What does wonderful really mean to us? Its actual definition means to fill with
wonder. It could be used in a negative
way. At the end of a long day at work
the boss brings in a stack of papers that need to be finished before you can go
home. “Wonderful,” you mutter under your
breath. Of course, it fills you with
wonder at how the boss could be so inconsiderate to wait until 4:45 to dump
three more hours of work on you. That
would be a negative wonderful.
Then you see the sharpest, speediest and most efficient
worker in the office go past your door.
She looks in and sees what has just happened. She comes into your office and takes off her
coat and says, “We can probably get this done in an hour if we work together.”
Wow! You say,
“Wonderful! Thank you so much!” That is positive wonderful and it fills you
with wonder at the kindness, the concern, the care, the camaraderie and the
self sacrificing nature of your co-worker.
You are filled with wonder that anyone could do such an onerous task in
your behalf. It fills you with gratitude
and joy and peace and thanksgiving.
That is the wonderful grace of Jesus.
Jesus said, “Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy
laden and I will give you rest.” He has
taken the burden of our sin and nailed it to Calvary’s cross. He has taken the burden of our condemnation
and carried it to hell and rose again to life for our hope. He has promised to never leave us or forsake
us. He has promised to be there as our burden
bearer for all time and eternity. Isn’t
that wonderful? He did all that for us
when we were yet sinners and opposed to him in mind, heart and body. He did it all by His wonderful grace.
We need to sing of His grace. We need to proclaim such
wonderful grace from the housetops. We need to respond in genuine gratitude
demonstrated in our daily lives for such wonderful grace. Indeed we can sing with Haldor Lillenas,
“Wonderful grace of Jesus, greater than all my sin. How shall my tongue describe it? Where shall its praise begin?” O the wonderful, wonderful exceedingly wonderful
grace of God.
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