“I will go down the escalator with you.”

You may be wondering why I chose this theme for this blog article. I chose it for the simple reason that my heart is full of gratitude because of the sweet grace of God in my life. I want to encourage you that He has that same sweet grace for each one of you.

The verse in Romans 5:8 tells us:“But God proves his love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” God’s sweet grace has always been there for me. It was there, even when I didn't realize it or in certain situations where I chose to feel sorry for myself instead of relying on His sweet grace.

In the last few months, I have experienced several situations that I know in my heart that I would not have succeeded or had victory without the sweet grace of God.

In Isaiah 61:7 the bible says:“ Instead of your shame you will receive a double portion, and instead of disgrace you will rejoice in your inheritance. And so, you will inherit a double portion in your land, and everlasting joy will be yours.” 

I reread some of my notes and I also shed tears of gratitude as I read the countless times in my life where I have experienced the sweet grace of God. Lately, I experience such special moments almost on a daily basis. These precious moments show me how much God loves me. And most important, He loves me just for who I am.

Sometimes we think or imagine that when these special moments happen, we should hear thunder, angels singing, or a beautiful blue sky. But in reality, most of  these precious moments happen as we go about our day. That is because the Lord wants us to know that He is always with us in the big details and in the smaller details of our daily life.

I recently I experienced His sweet grace while at a shopping mall near my home. I have always been terrified of escalators, not the ones going up but the ones going down.  Upon arrival at the mall, I parked on the second level of a large department store. I was there to buy my little great granddaughter a dress for her birthday. But I could not find the children’s department. I asked a salesperson for direction. She said to me: “You are not on the right floor. The children’s department is on the 1st floor,” and she kindly directed me to the escalators.

I asked her if the store had an elevator. Unfortunately for me, it was out of order on that specific day. So, I made my way to the escalators. I looked down and I thought, NO, I cannot do this, I cannot go down this escalator. I completely froze in place. After a few moments a nice young man, an employee of the store, said to me: “Excuse me miss, do you need any help? Do you need to go down the escalator?” “Yes, I need to go to the first floor, but I'm terrified to get on the escalator.” He then extended his hand to me and said: “Give me your hand and I will go down with you!” He got on the escalator ahead of me and held my hand until we safely reached the first floor.  Once we got back on solid ground, I thanked him, he smiled and said: “I'm glad I was able to help you”. Then, we both went our separate ways. For me, it was yet another very special moment where I really felt the sweet grace of God over my life.

Why am I telling you this? It is simply to reiterate that without a doubt, I know that every day the sweet grace of God is available to me. By the same token, that same sweet grace is also available for each and everyone of you. It probably will not come with thunder, angels singing, or a beautiful blue sky. But, watch for it, expect it and always be grateful for the sweet grace of God on your life.

I pray Numbers 6:24-26 over each person reading this article: “The Lord bless you and keep you; ²⁵ the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; ²⁶ the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.”

 Denise

 Bible verses are from the New International Version