Fear not, for I will surely show you kindness… – 2 Samuel 9:7, Amplified Bible

Imagine for a moment that you are the king’s grandchild. Due to a horrible choice made by your grandfather, the kingdom has been ripped from your family. Others take control of the land, and the home, riches, and glory you had inherited now belong to another. You carry on in the shadows, trying to live an inconspicuous life for fear of being captured and killed by the new ruler of the land.

Then, one day, you are found. The king has called for you, and you fear for your life. As you enter into his presence, you throw yourself at the king’s feet, hoping beyond hope that he will spare your life. But then you are totally dumbfounded! The king has no intention of just sparing your life; he has every intention of giving you a life of ease and abundance. You don’t understand. “Why would you do this?”, you ask. “For the love of your father,” comes the reply, “and for his sake.”

In 2 Samuel 9, King David granted Mephibosheth, grandson of Saul, such grace for the sake of Mephibosheth’s father, Jonathan. As David tells Mephibosheth in verse 7:

David said to him, Fear not, for I will surely show you kindness for Jonathan your father’s sake, and will restore to you all the land of Saul your father [grandfather], and you shall eat at my table always. – 2 Samuel 9:7, Amplified Bible

In a moment Mephibosheth’s dread was replaced with joy, his want was replaced with plenty, and the conflict between his family and David’s was replaced with peace. Waves of relief, gratitude, and rest must have overcome Mephibosheth, and we no doubt would have experienced the same emotions if we had been in his situation.

Well, we have been in his situation! Every born-again child of God has experienced what Mephibosheth has experienced. Due to a horrible choice made by our grandfather, Adam, we had the perfect kingdom of Eden taken from our family. Our human family now lives in the shadows, desperately trying to avoid retribution from the Eternal Judge. But God knows where to find us, and when He does, we become frightened. Yet His desire is not to destroy us but to offer us a life of peace and abundance, replacing our dread with joy, our want with plenty, and our conflict with Him with peace. All we need to do is accept the gift of grace that the Father gladly offers us, a gift He offers us for the sake of and for the love of His Son, Jesus Christ.

Oftentimes we lose sight of just how wonderful a thing God’s grace is. Yes, when we accept Jesus Christ as Savior, we are saved from the punishment of Hell, which in and of itself is a wonderful gift. But salvation is so much more than that! It is restoration, both of the kingdom and of the family relationship with God that Adam and Eve gave up when they sinned. If you haven’t experienced in awhile the same gratitude that Mephibosheth experienced, take a step away from the busy-ness of life for a few moments. Sit still and remember the day you received the King’s grace. Understand that it was not only forgiveness but a kingdom you gained that day, a kingdom you could never have hoped to acquire on your own. Feel the wave of gratitude overcome you, and do not hesitate to tell God, “Thank you!” for giving you back a kingdom that you did not deserve.

If you are reading this and cannot remember a day when you accepted God’s free gift of grace, please visit our How To Hear page and learn how you, too, can become a child of the King!