Text: 2 Timothy 2:11-13, Galatians 6:14
As we walk through this season of reflection and repentance together, we want to provide time and space for us as individuals and a community to meditate on God’s Word and bow at His feet in prayer.
Each Saturday during Lent we will read a brief passage of Scripture and a corporate prayer, both carefully chosen for this specific place in our Lenten journey. Sundays will be dedicated to scripture memorization, one of our favorite habits here at She Reads Truth.
We pray you will not only meet with the Savior on these quieter weekend days, but linger there with Him, in prayer and in His Word.
O MY SAVIOUR,
I thank thee from the depths of my being
for thy wondrous grace and love
in bearing my sin in thine own body on the tree.
May thy cross be to me
as the tree that sweetens my bitter Marahs,
as the rod that blossoms with life and beauty,
as the brazen serpent that calls forth
the look of faith.
By thy cross crucify my every sin;
Use it to increase my intimacy with thyself;
Make it the ground of all my comfort,
the liveliness of all my duties,
the sum of all thy gospel promises,
the comfort of all my afflictions,
the vigour of my love, thankfulness, graces,
the very essence of my religion;
And by it give me that rest without rest,
the rest of ceaseless praise.
O MY LORD AND SAVIOUR,
Thou hast also appointed a cross for me
to take up and carry,
a cross before thou givest me a crown.
Thou hast appointed it to be my portion,
but self-love hates it,
carnal reason is unreconciled to it;
without the grace of patience I cannot bear it,
walk with it, profit by it.
O blessed cross, what mercies dost thou bring
with thee!
Thou art only esteemed hateful by my rebel will,
heavy because I shirk thy load.
Teach me, gracious Lord and Saviour,
that with my cross thou sendest promised grace
so that I may bear it patiently,
that my cross is thy yoke which is easy,
and thy burden which is light.
– “The Grace of the Cross” from The Valley of Vision
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73 thoughts on "The Grace of the Cross"
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I pray for myself and all here to rest in Jesus Christ our Savior who loves us with a cross love. May our bitterest moments turn to sweetness in His presence. Amen.
Love these verses! We serve a faithful God who loves us and wants our best! Serving him with gladness is true joy! Psalm 100:1-3 Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth! Serve the LORD with gladness!
Come into his presence with singing!
Know that the LORD, he is God!
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Dear Abby-LOVE your explanation and summary of this prayer!! I’m saving to share with my daughters!!
No one should feel dumb for not understanding the prayer from the Valley of Vision. It is beautiful, and meaningful, and part of our spiritual heritage, but you do need a bit of background information to understand it though! So here goes:
The first part of the prayer references three events from Exodus, the story how God delivered Israel from Egypt, and led them through the wilderness for forty years, as they learned to trust in Him. Moses actually through some kind of tree into a bitter spring at a place called Marrah and it made the waters sweet. So also, the cross sweetens our bitterest experiences, because we know that Jesus suffered like us, and took the ultimate punishment of death and separation from God instead of us. Also, at some point in the book, God made Aaron's or Moses' staff or rod blossom, symbolizing how only he can bring life out of something that is dead!!! That word picture is so powerful to me!! Through the cross, through death, God brings new life into our hearts and into the world, and he is unstoppable!! Since Jesus overcame death, we know there is nothing left to fear, and it is only a matter of time before we see everything submitted to God's glorious, life-giving ways.
The third word-picture was really cool too. At some points, the Israelite rebelled, and God sent snakes (or a plague maybe). People were dying and Moses prayed to God that he would stop the plague (or snakes) and God told him something strange…Make a bronze snake, put it up on a pole, and have the people look at it (Huh??). Everyone who looked at the bronze (brazen) snake would be saved!. Basically, this was one more foreshadowing of the Cross of Christ…Jesus later referenced this passage in the gospels, when he said "Just as the snake was lifted up in the wilderness, so also the Son of Man must be lifted up, and everyone who looks to him will be saved." No one at the time realized he was talking about dying on the cross, but that is it–simply by looking at Jesus, and believing…we are saved.
It seems too simple for us works-righteousness oriented folk, and we tend to make it a lot more complicated than it is. But it is wonderfully simple…Everyone who looks upon the Son of Man –everyone who believes that Jesus' death on the cross makes me right with God, not my own works and sacrifices–will be saved.
This has been good for me to process through. Working in the school system, I feel heavy under the burden of trying to prove my worth through my work. But truly, the cross–Jesus' Cross–is a light burden for us because, though we suffer with him and like him, we are no longer responsible for carrying the weight of our righteousness, or anyone else's. This indeed is a light burden.
In college, I struggled for a time with an eating disorder, and praise God he has healed me. It truly was a miracle, and one of the things that helped the most was realizing how common my struggle was, and sharing it with others.
I pray that Rene you will know the sweetness of God's healing, but even more than that, you will realize how much Jesus loves you in the midst of your battle, in the midst of your total inability to overcome on your own…Often times, in my weakest moments is when I realize the most how much Jesus cares for me. He lets us go through our wildernesses so that we can realize that it is He alone who saves, and not we ourselves. I know that I try to clean up my dirty, but right there in the middle of me trying to "make myself presentable" I realize that He loves me this way. Jesus wants me to know, and you to know, that this way we are right now, He loves us perfectly, completely. We don't need to add anything else or change anything. Resting in this truth, He alone makes us blossom with new life, bringing it out of our dead works-righteousness wood. May all of the SRT community be blessed today by His Grace Alone!
Thanks for that explanation. I knew all that stuff, but didnt put it together in my mind. This really clarified and brought more meaning to the prayer. Have a blessed day.
Wow! As I read Galatians 6:14 I was hit hard. As for me, I will never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. I was faced with the realization of, “how many times a day do I boast?” Whether inadvertently or not, I realize that I often boast and praise myself whether it be thinking I did a great job at work, or posting vacation photos to Facebook for all my friends to see what I’ve done. How many of us are guilty of this? I know I am! Social media is the perfect platform for us to boast about the things we feel we have done well with. Reading this verse made me realize that my accomplishments and things I am proud of are nothing compared to what Lord has done for us. A God so loving and gracious that gave up his Son for our sins is truly something to boast about! I don’t know if anyone else had this same take away as I did today, but this verse really opened my eyes.
I used to believe that if I believed in God then life would be all flowers and blue skies. And when anything bad happened that God was upset with me. My faith has grown since those days. I know that following God and walking with Christ does not mean we are exempt from trials and pain, but that we have a hope and a refuge during those times. And they can always refine us, draw us closer, and create a deeper love and strength within us. Praying right along with the Valley of Vision that I can receive His grace and promised patience to bear my daily crosses with Him.
“Teach me, gracious Lord and Saviour, that with my cross thou sendest promised grace so that I may bear it patiently, that my cross is thy yoke which is easy, and thy burden which is light.”
The ultimate display of God's love for us is demonstrated by the grace of the Cross, the ultimate sacrifice, an infinite pardon. 2 Timothy 2:11 says, "If we died with Him, we will also live with Him…" To me this means, I have to let go of my selfish sins, my own agenda, my desires, my bad attitudes, the criticisms that roll off my tongue, and let them die with Christ, and give them to Him. In that way, I will also be able to live with Him. But there is no way, absolutely none, that I could do that on my own. I am human. But He "sendest promised grace," that with His help, I can rid myself of the sin that so easily entangles. And in that victory, my source of strength, is Christ alone! AMEN!!!
This is sticking with me this morning. 2 Timothy 2:13 “If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself”. At a ladies seminar today. Speaker was talking about God loving me. Perfectly. Faithfully. All the time. Regardless of what I do or don’t do. I can’t make Him love me more or less. Because His love is based on His character and nature. Not mine. It’s proactive love. Rooted in Him. Not reactive love in response to how well I “keep the rules”.
Love that Antimony. So often I forget that I’m the one who is inconsistent…not God. He is steadfast always. Such a contrast in my relationship with God over any earthly relationships.
I randomly opened my Bible and came across a verse that I had once highlighted and needed to see today. “Now may The Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you.” -2 Thessalonians 3:16// I think it’s definitely something all of us could hear today as we may be struggling or looking for God’s grace when it may be right in front of us. Have a great weekend, ladies!
To me the prayer goes a little something like this….
Dear God,
Thank you for grace and love.
Thank you for taking all of my mess and sin and yuck at the cross.
When I see a cross…. Help me to see:
*you make my sad times better.. You see and you know..
*you give life that is true and good and satisfying
* true faith means I have to die to certain things to really live
*you take every one of my sins….. Every single one…
*you love me
*this life is temporary
*you are the passion behind why I do what I do… My love… My thankfulness
Let me SING a little and DANCE a little about it ☺️
My life is the cross I carry. I get this cross then a crown!
When I don't look to you to be my strength, my life cross is HEAVY and I don't like it and I want to put it down.
BUT
When I focus on YOU, I realize the cross you have given me comes with mercy and promised grace. You give me a yoke that is easy and a burden that is light.
YOU give me the strength. I am not alone.
Incredible.
Love to you ladies this Saturday
Amen sister! This brought tears to my eyes. When we lean in to Him, all our struggling ceases and the true glory of the cross is revealed!
Awesome!
Lovely
I absolutely love what you said here Amanda. Praise God for his goodness!
How you explained this was so beautiful and i was truly able to understand it more. Thank you for opening my eyes more to his love.
Amanda, thank you …for putting this beautiful and powerful prayer into a modern language we can relate to more easily…x
Renee, to be honest I don’t always get the deep stuff either. This mornings was no exception. I loved it and thought it was beautiful but I rely on all of the wonderful comments here to get a better grasp of most things. I’m so sorry for your struggle. I prayed for God to wrap you in his arms, give you peace and help you through this day. Your love for Jesus is enough! He doesn’t measure you by your success or failure. Hang in there, pray, listen to some praise music on the radio. You’ll get there sweetie.
I have a confession to make. The reading from ‘Valley of Visions’ left me confused this morning. I attempted to read through it multiple times, but each time it left me with the same thoughts: I am not smart enough to understand complicated literature.
I will admit that the entire time I was reading it my mind kept drifting back to the fact that I didn’t go to the gym this morning even though I had popcorn last night and this shame/guilt is heading up every thought this morning. I reside that many people deal with this same guilt and shame on a daily basis, but I am trying to recover from Anotexia and things leave me trapped in my head for days until I attempt to fix it by killing myself at the gym. All that being said, I don’t know if my lack of understanding is due to the lack of brain function that I have as a result of years of being trapped in this disease or if I really am that illiterate in the passage. I understand wholeheartedly that the cross hold the weight of all of our sin and rebellion and that instead of the weight being placed on us (as it should have been) Jesus chose to take all of that weight on himself to bring us freedom. I understand the weight of that message, but is there more to this reading than I am understanding?
I hate to bother you ladies on a Saturday morning with all of this, but I’m scared. I’m scared of how the next 24 hours are going to play out since I ate that popcorn (even though it wasn’t even enough to makeup for my meal plan given by my doctor) and then didn’t go to the gym to run it all off. I’m scared of this disease and how hard recovery is. I’m scared that I’m letting my Savior down by worrying about my weight and the food I consume. I deserve the cross. I deserve death, but Jesus chose to take that from me. As grateful as I am for this truth, I’m scared that I’m not doing enough (recovery wise) to make it worth while for him.
Again, I am sorry to bother you all on this new day, but I do thank you for listening. And I thank the incredible SRT team for putting together these devotionals each and every morning. You ladies are incredible and it is so comforting/exiting to know that there are countless ladies across the nation reading these same truths with me.
I love you all.
-Reneé
Praying for you, Renee!!
Oh sweet sister. Keep your eyes on Him!
Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7 NLT)
His grace is new for us each day. You can count on it. Praying you will experience His love so deeply you receive that peace.
Reneé –
All the thine’s thou’s and thee’s are hard for anyone to wade through most Saturday mornings. I had to reread sections too!
But the rest of your post is what made my heart ache. I don’t have easy answers, or fixes, or a cure. But what I can offer is encouragement. You are a strong woman. You are looking for peace and grace and healing in all of the right places – God wants to redeem not only your earthly sin but also your earthly body. Without even knowing you, I can tell you you are beautiful and you are loved. Know that no one can EVER do enough to pay back Jesus dying on a cross for us, but also know that God will not accept two paybacks on the same debt. You have been covered, your only job is to accept it and sit under the protection of it.
I hope this wasn’t too much rambling, but I wanted to try my best to encourage you. You are enough in God’s eyes. You are loved. You are becoming a healthier version of yourself.
grace & peace.
Karyssa, “…God will not accept two paybacks on the same debt. You have been covered, your only job is to accept it and sit under the protection of it.” Wow that spoke volumes to me today. Thank you for this.
Renee, God knows our imperfections and struggle. He knows our sinful tendencies, but He chose us DESPITE them! I have been really struggling lately with fixing my eyes on myself, rather than God. It's so easy to look at ourselves and how we don't measure up, rather on looking at Jesus and just thanking Him for who He is. His grace is so sufficient for you. You aren't letting Him down, and you are WORTH IT. Instead of focusing on your imperfections, refocus your attention on His perfection. And trust me, I'm the first to say that I have a long way to go in doing this, but let's pray for each other today in these areas. :)
Renee, first i’ll say that I have never ever commented on here before. I am not qualified in any way to reply to your note except that I am your sister in Christ, struggling daily, about different things than you but struggling none the less.
You words tugged at me because I have befriended a young girl who deals with eating disorders. She is not a believer yet. If you would consider talking to me via email – to teach me about your problem, my email is [email protected]. It may help you also, to write about your feelings.
That being said, you are not alone in struggling over this prayer. It was harder for me this morning too : )
The thing is, what you eat has no bearing on the love of Jesus. There is nothing we can do to diminish God’s love for us.
It is by grace that we are saved, not by works, so that one one can boast.
Know that I am praying God will show you how valuable you are to him – just as you are. And that you can find peace with the doctor’s meal plan : )
Thank you sweet sister for your reply! Coming along side you and Renee and our sisters in Christ in prayer!
Praying for your strength to understand He loves you, He loves you, He loves you Renee if you eat all the popcorn in the world and never exercise again. You can never escape His reach… NEVER. ❤️
I am definitley not educated in literature so my explanation will be simple ;)
I looked at the first half as thanking Him for giving His life on the cross and the second half as a reminder to ourselves that we must bear our own cross before we are awarded a crown after this life. (Of course we will cast that crown at His feet!) It also recognizes that we cannot possibly bear that cross, because of our carnal nature, without the help of Jesus Christ. "…that with my cross thou sendest promised grace so that I may bear it patiently…"
When you pray this prayer out loud as your own I think it comes alive and sparks a thankfulness inside that must come out in praise!
You are never a bother her in this group, we all have struggles and needs and we are blessed to be able to bring them before thousands of women around the world who will stop what they are doing and ask the God of the Universe to come to their sister's aid. That will be my prayer for you today, Renee. God sees your pain, He has felt pain, understands your temptations, He has been tempted! He has experienced every emotion and difficulty in some fashion as we have…most of all He is close by, Christ IN you, the hope of Glory! Keep turning to His Word, keep calling out His name throughout your day….whispers are good too!! Let Jesus know you cannot do this on your own because you absolutely cannot. But with God….ALL things are possible, even overcoming this huge burden.
Much love to you today dear sister…my next prayer is for YOU. ♥ Be blessed by this song…No longer a slave to Fear… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8TkUMJtK5k&i…
I struggle with my weight every day and I’m told countless times that I look perfect. This lent I gave up worrying about weight issues and only focusing on making sure I’m healthy . Every day is a battle and everyday I wake up trying again. I’m praying God takes the disease from you and shows you your true beauty!
Renee- You are a precious daughter of the king. The king who bears the burdens of our hearts and bodies. I too have been caught in similar food issues/body image. The world has it so twisted what we should be. But above all, we should use our body to bring glory to God! Remember your body is a temple and you are made exactly the way God wants you to be. Praying today for you sweet lady! Stay strong!!
P.S. A good blog for you is DashingDish.com Katie is a lovely woman of God whose overcome these obstacles with food and body image.
Renee, the inability to focus and understand complicated messages is NOT an indication of intelligence. There are so many days my mind wanders the entire time I’m reading, and all that tells me is that I need to draw closer to God. I’m putting other things before my relationship with Him, so why would He give me the gift of understanding His Word?
As for your other problem, I’ve been there too. But I’m NOT there anymore. He can see you through that as well and it’s not too big for Him to handle. Lean into Him, dear sister. Praying for you!
Sweet Renee know that food is not your enemy. You are beautiful as you are and God loves you no matter what. He will guide you thru this I know and help you become a healthier version of you!
Praying for you today Renee. Praying that today will be a day of victories even if they feel so tiny. You are a courageous woman in your recovery and as I read your comment I want you to know that I am humbled by your honesty and admire you. Recovery is HARD. And when you feel you can’t do it I pray that you will feel lifted up by God’s hand…when we are weak, then we are strong (2 Corinth 12:10).
Renee, I have never left a comment before, but your post touches me. Thank you for having the courage to speak openly about your struggle. I can feel your angst through what you have written. I, too, bear a cross with which I struggle. I know God placed it there to cause me to grow. Then He led me to SheReadsTruth.com where I have found something I did not have before – words to articulate my own deepest truth. For this I am grateful. Renee, may the Father of all Mercy bless you with all you need this day. May this blessing be enough for you, so that tomorrow you will wake up in the confidence that His promises are new each day.
Renee, I know how hard it is. How hard we can be to ourselves. But I also have faith in an amazing God who will free you from this debilitating disease. Surrender every nasty thought to him. Visualize yourself literally giving them to him. Because that’s all he’s asked us to do. He can handle every single one. And he wants to. We love u.
I am praying for you, Renee.
Pray you receive grace and healing from the Lord.
Playing a little catch up this early Sunday morning and reading the posts from yesterday. I have found my favorite spot in my house – it’s quiet and I can see the sunrise through the trees….pink, orange and the warmest yellow. My breathing space where I am reminded of the faithfulness of Jesus….His mercies are new every morning. Renee, I am also praying for you this morning …you are not alone. As a body of believing women across many time zones I know that we are all battling things, big and small that want to steal our joy. In this body of Christ we are intent to live boldly for Jesus, but there is one that wants the opposite. In the name of Jesus, the one that has already defeated death, I rebuke the enemy and the lies that he is trying to speak into the life of Renee and each one of us. The battle is won – we have victory in Jesus! Praying for strength and peace that passes all understanding.
As others who have posted replies to your message, I've been there, but am not there anymore. God asked me to fast from exercise about two years ago, and it was the hardest thing ever! My brain was a fog, I was afraid, and it didn't "feel" like anything was happening. But He broke the yoke of oppression and freed me from the hamster wheel of worry about food and excessive exercise.
Even when you feel like what you are doing isn't working or isn't enough, even if you can't make sense of what you are reading, when you keep getting near God, He will help you, because "… he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world." 1 John 4:4.
God also brought a wonderful, older mentor and friend to me who fasted, prayed, and encouraged me with God's Word through the recovery period. Praying today that God will bring the same encouragement and support to you.
On a practical note, one of the resources that was incredibly instrumental through this process was a book called "Love to Eat, Hate to Eat" by Elise Fitzgerald. It is definitely worth checking it out.
May all the blessings of Christ rest on you today,
Erin
Sweet Renee, your words and confession are never a bother. That is the Spirit revealing your place of safety in this community. A community relying on the lord through each other as we learn to confess and stumble in our drawing closer to Him. Just remember, the lord is gracious! I am praying for you this morning. There are new mercies!
So, I don’t understand this passage from 2 Timothy. In verse 12, Paul says that Jesus will deny us if we deny Him. But the very next verse says Jesus cannot deny us, because… Oh wait… Paul means that He will remain faithful to God… Never mind!
2 Tim 2:13 If we are not faithful, He will still be faithful because He must be true to who He is. My response when I read that was a loud THANK YOU!!! To think that my Lord and Savior never changes how He loves me and cares for me and longs for a relationship with me no matter what. All I have to do is return to Him. He will be there.
“Teach me gracious Lord and Saviour,that with my cross thou sendest promised grace so that I may bear it patiently,that my cross is thy yoke which is easy,and thy burden light.”
My cross is this cancer,please continue dear Lord to give me that patience,grace,and strength in getting through this.
I’ve had a pretty tough week, I ask my sisters here to please keep in your prayers as we wait for open/closed doors. And to help me deal with this pain. Thank you,God bless. Xo
Beth, prayers for you, for help with the pain and his peace to surround you as you wait.
Thank you so much Rae Lynn,xo
I am praying for you sweet Beth – for patience, grace and strength as you specifically requested. Also, for God's joy to surround you today.
Thank you so much Beckie,xo
Lord Jesus, please touch Beth today in a special way. Help her in her suffering, ease her pain with Your tender touch and love her through this hurting season. We know You still perform miracles today…we believe in Your healing power. If that healing comes only for a little while today, may it lift her burden, give her strength and overwhelm her with peace. That peace, Your peace, is what carries us through the darkest trials of our lives, Lord. Comfort Beth today and remind her how very near the Lord of Glory is to her. In Jesus' Name.
Your sisters will call your name in prayer today!! ♥♥♥
Thank you so much Candacejo.xo
Amen
Father, I praise You because You are a God of miracles. A God of all comfort. A God of peace. A God of strength! Father, I lift Your sweet, precious daughter Beth to You today. I pray Your complete healing for her body. I pray Father that You would restore her to full health. I praise You Father because she is fearfully and wonderfully made! Your awesome, wonderful creation! I pray Father for Your peace that passes all understanding today! Thank You for always being at work. I pray You would make the rough places smooth for her and her family today. I pray she would feel Your presence I an awesome and powerful way today! I praise You Father because You know our needs before we even ask and are at work answering! I'm praying not as one who doubts and is tossed about on the waves of the ocean, but as one of Your daughters believing totally,trusting fully and claiming Your word that where two are three are gathered You are in their midst and that You answer according to Your will. I love you Father and thank You so for Your faithfulness! For answered prayer! For the miracles You have allowed us to witness and the ones You are at work performing even now in the life of this sweet sister! You are Awesome! Almighty! All-Powerful! In the mighty Name of Jesus I pray, Amen!
Oh thank you Brandi,that was beautiful. God bless you, xo.
Lifting you up this morning, Beth.
Thank you,xo
Praying for you Beth. Stay faithful in the only true hope we have. I hope He eased your pain. My heart goes out to you.
Thank you so much.xo
I'm praying for you Beth. Peace, hope and love to you this evening…
May His cross crucify my every sin. Wow. Thank you for this. I need to pick up Valley of Vision, I think.
Amen! HE gives me the grace to carry the cross in my journey…. Which HE later rewards with a crown. Oh sweet Jesus! You are so good to us…. May I rest in singing endless praise to You!
I love that we all gather to pray with one another. I also love The Valley of Vision. May God hear our prayers this morning! A few passages stuck out to me:
“And by it give me that rest without rest, the rest of ceaseless praise.”
I’m learning more and more what it means to truly rest. Here we see another form of rest found in ceaseless praise. We find rest by praising.
“Thou hast appointed it to be my portion, but self-love hates it, carnal reason is unreconciled to it; without the grace of patience I cannot bear it,”
I find it interesting that all we need, our portion, is in the cross. God designed it to be that way and in turn handed it to us.
“that my cross is thy yoke which is easy, and thy burden which is light.”
His yoke is easy and His burden is light. My counselor and I talk about this verse a lot and I am still working out what it means.
These words mean so much to me. As I read these words I hung on them with every part of my beaning.
How sweet – you even carry the cross in your name! What a beautiful personal reminder that something is lacking without the cross. :)