Abundant Grace

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified, do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9

This is the first verse the Lord used to encourage me about a potential move to China, way back when we first heard about the possibility at the beginning of last November. I was actually preparing for a preschool Sunday school lesson that incorporated this verse the day after we first got the call, and after I had actually finished the presentation of the lesson, the full weight of the meaning of the verse for me personally hit me and I began to cry at the faithfulness of God. How He put this verse in my path right when we were starting to mentally walk down the road towards Shanghai... amazing. He would walk with us, not just wish us well as we went. He would be making the way, heading out ahead of us on the journey.

Seth and Madelyn and I learned this verse and the one before it as well, saying the verses to each other during our Bible time. I had printed the verses out and hung them in several places in our house to remind us of the precious words of encouragement.

Three weeks ago today we were worshipping at a church in Shanghai. We had set out from our hotel in a taxi, with only a scrap of paper with an address that had been hastily translated into Chinese characters by the concierge. The taxi driver dropped us off in front of the church and we made our way through the doors. We began to look around at the displays of the different programs and ministries the church offered, but not a minute had passed before a friendly woman about our age, whose name turned out to be Victoria, greeted us and engaged us in conversation. We told her why we were in Shanghai, and found that she and her family had been there for several years, having come from somewhere in the States. She told us all about the things going on at the church and introduced us to several people. What a gift, to have that kind of welcome. The service began with worship songs we knew... amazing to find this familiar praise being offered to the Lord, half a world away.

I was already in tears from the gift of the welcome from Victoria and the worship time that felt so much like home, when it came time for baby dedications in the service. The families who had brought children to dedicate to the Lord that day had been encouraged to share a scripture or prayer for their babies. The first family had a scripture... their young son began to read it aloud in a confident voice. It was Joshua 1:7-9. I wept again to hear the familiar words,"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified, do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." It made God so BIG, to see Him alive and being proclaimed here in Shanghai as He is at my church in the Midwest, and with the same scripture, no less. He is real, He is alive, He cares for me!

Was this not a gift, to have this encouragement from God reiterated to me in this church on the other side of the world? Definitely it was a gift to my heart... and that's what grace is, a gift, the freely given, unmerited favor and love of God.

Did I mention the name of this church that will likely be our new place of fellowship in Shanghai? Oh yes, I did. Abundant Grace.