Yea though I walk through the valley
I know that You are always right beside me
And I will fear no evil
You’re my Rock, and my Strength
You comfort me

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound
I hear You singing over me
I once was lost but now I’m found
And it’s beautiful
Amazing grace, how sweet the sound
It covers every part of me
My soul is silent, I am found
And it’s a beautiful sound

You carry me through the waters
Where Your peace clears away all my sorrow
And nothing can separate us from Your love
Oh, Your love it will always be

You were healing in the pain
You were shelter in the storm
Hallelujah, You restore my soul

Citizens Way
Writers: Josh Calhoun / Ben Calhoun

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Yahweh your God is among you,
a Mighty Warrior who saves.
He will rejoice over you with gladness.
He will bring you quietness with His love.
(in His love He will be silent and make no mention of past sins, or even recall them)
He will delight in you with shouts of joy.
(He will exult over you with singing)
Zephaniah 3:17 HCSB / AMP

I have had the first part of this chorus stuck in my head for days now. I could not figure out why but I knew there had to be a reason. So I decided to look up the lyrics and suddenly I understood.

“…It covers EVERY part of me…”

Y’all, life is just plain hard sometimes.  Aging is hard.  Marriage is hard.  Exercise is hard.  Eating healthy is hard.  The big stuff, and the little stuff, is just downright hard.  I am pretty good about remembering to take the big stuff to God.  But the little stuff—the daily struggles, things that seem unimportant in the grand scheme of things—those I often try to handle on my own.  Right now, the hardest thing for me is eating healthy.  There is so much information available it is hard to know which opinion is right.  At every turn there is an ad or commercial encouraging me to reward myself with food.  This is a daily battle which I seem to have no motivation nor strength to fight.  Then boom!  Those 6 little words “It covers every part of me…” hit me like a 2×4.  God’s grace covers EVERY part of me.  (Including my struggle to eat healthy.)

In my Bible study we have been talking about battles and how to fight them.  I have been learning so much.

• I don’t have to be strong or do it own my own. God’s grace is all I need.

In 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 NLT it says,
“My gracious favor is ALL you need. My power works BEST in your weakness…For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

• I need to use the right weapons. God’s grace provides the weapons.

2 Corinthians 10:4-5 tells us,
“We use GOD’s mighty weapons, not mere worldly weapons, to knock down the Devil’s strongholds. With these weapons we break down every proud argument…with these weapons we conquer every rebellious thought.”  (Note to self: right thinking leads to right eating – not arguments, or rebellious thoughts excuses,)

• I must be sure I am covering myself in the armor God’s grace provides.

Remember the armor listed in Ephesians 6,
– Belt of truth
– Breastplate of righteousness
– Shoes of peace
– Shield of faith
– Sword of the Spirit – the Bible
– Helmet of Salvation
– To pray at all times
(Look y’all, God’s armor covers every part of us – from the top of our heads to the tip of our toes!)

Your battle may not be the same as mine.  My battle is subject to change in the blink of an eye.  But these battles are real.  And they aren’t just fought here on earth.  They are fought in the heavenly realm as well.  (Remember Gabriel’s battle in Daniel 10?)

Look at this Facebook post from 9/9/15 by Ben Carson:
“An eagle does not fight a snake on the ground.  It picks it up and changes grounds, then releases it back to the ground.  A snake has no stamina, no power, no balance in the air.  It is useless, weak and vulnerable unlike on the ground where it is deadly, wise and powerful.  Take your fight to the spirit realm (pray) and when you are in the spiritual realm God takes charge.  Don’t fight in the physical realm, change grounds like an eagle.”

There is so much to unpack in that brief post!  I love the visual imagery.  But the main thing to remember is that our very first strategy should always be prayer.  Our prayers take the battle to a Higher Authority.

God covers every part of us—every battle, every sorrow, every pain—with His grace.  His grace provides us the strength and the weapons to fight our battles, whether big or small.  He cares about each of our battles, even the ones we think are insignificant or mundane.  We do not have to fight them alone.  He does not expect us to handle them on our own.  He is always right beside us, our Shelter in the storm.  His grace covers every part.