An Act of God, An Act of Grace

Marcia Lee Laycock is a pastor's wife and mother of three. She writes from central Alberta Canada. Her devotional books have been endorsed by Mark Buchanan, Phil Callaway and Jeanette Oke. She was the winner of the Best New Canadian Christian Author Award in 2006 for her novel, One Smooth Stone.

The day was bright and sunny with just a touch of crispness to it. It was the kind of morning that should have lifted my spirits but as I gazed out the window, my thoughts were far away and all gloomy. I sighed and tried to prepare for the day ahead. I knew it wasn’t going to be an easy one. There would be the gathering of friends and family at the church and then the funeral and a reception immediately afterward. My friend’s death had been a shock to us all. As I got ready I prayed that the Lord would help us get through the day.

I heard the birds as I was eating breakfast. At first I didn’t pay much attention. There is a large tract of bush on the other side of our street, so we hear the birds every morning. By the time I was ready to head out our front door, I was wondering why the birdsong was so loud. As I stepped out into the fresh spring air, I was astonished at the reason. The entire bush across from me was full of robins. They flitted from branch to branch and tree to tree, singing. I stood and watched and listened and suddenly my spirit was lifted. A verse of scripture that can sometimes seem so impossible came to mind. “My grace is sufficient for you.” (2 Corinthians 12:9) I was witnessing an act of grace, a gift given in reply to a plea for help. The gift worked wonders.

I don’t know if robins usually move about in large flocks. Perhaps it’s part of their migration pattern, but I have never seen a flock like that before. I’ve always looked for that single robin that heralds the coming of spring. I would never have dreamed of looking for over a hundred of them.

Perhaps God knew that’s what I needed that day – something unusual and delightful, something that would take my breath away. As I drove to the church I realized that it’s just like Him to do something like that. He has said that He does not only want to give us life, but He wants to give us abundant life, a life full of delightful things like birdsong, to banish the gloom, a life in which the darkness of death is overcome by the blazing light of life.

“Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen.” (Ephesians 3:20)