We throw open our doors to God and discover at the same moment that he has already thrown open his door to us. We find ourselves standing where we always hoped we might stand—out in the wide open spaces of God’s grace and glory, standing tall and shouting our praise.

Romans 5:2, MSG

Now that we have actually received this amazing friendship [relationship-KE] with God, we are no longer content to simply say it in plodding prose. We sing and shout our praises to God through Jesus, the Messiah!

Romans 5:10-11

When people look at us, do they see people at peace in God’s grace and glory, shouting thanks and praises to our Heavenly Father?

LOVE	But Christ proved God’s passionate love for us by dying in our place while we were still lost and ungodly! (8, TPT)
SALVATION	Christ didn’t and doesn’t wait for us to be worthy. He paid for our sins when we were helpless, weak, and powerless. (6-8)
FAITH	Faith is the glue in our relationship with God. (1)
PEACE	When we enter through faith into what God has done for us–the undeserved privilege of righteousness–we experience abundant peace and well-being. (1-2)	The Holy Spirit fills our heart with His love. (5)
REJOICE	In good times & trials, we rejoice because God loves us dearly. (3-5, 11)
CHARACTER	With confidence in God during times of trouble, we can endure, and this refines our character. (3-4)
HOPE	Through faith and enduring character, we have hope, an expectancy of what God will do for us. (4-5)	We share in God’s resurrection life and are rescued from sin’s dominion. (10, Hebrews 7:25)

God’s words of peace, hope, and rejoicing during troubled times were just what I needed to hear during this pandemic. Many are afraid, hopeless, helpless, and aggressively grasping at straws for self-preservation. As a God-believing, salvation-granted Christian, I can experience social isolation, financial difficulties, illness, and death with faith and hope because of God’s love. I can rejoice and find peace in the dark like Paul and Silas did in prison. Even in pain, I know who holds the world in His hands. I can endure in His peace, because the Holy Spirit lives in me and gives me strength.

Picture this: I can climb up on God’s lap, sit inside his hug, and cry–and He will bring me peace. Bring it to Jesus.

Want to hear this message in song? Cynthia Clawson sings “Bring It to Jesus”