The Grand Canyon

I've never been to the Grand Canyon. I've seen it on many movies and read about many aspects of it. I even planned a trip that included a pack mule trip to the bottom of the canyon and a few days at a camp by the river. (Then life happened...so the trip didn't.) If you have never been to the Grand Canyon, it seems almost impossible to imagine it. The canyon is, on average, nine miles accros. I grew up in a small town in Michigan and the next towns to the East and West were both nine miles away. As Mid-Michigan is absolutely flat, I have a good reference point for nine miles by car. But it is hard to imagine seeing it all at the same time.

Jerry Bridges uses a powerful word picture for God's grace using the Grand Canyon in his illustration. A common perception of God's grace, (and one that I have considered from time to time) is what he adds to us to achieve his standard. We can go so far toward living sin free, and he makes up the difference. If we are trying to travel 100 miles and run out of gas at 90, he will give us ten miles worth of gas to travel the rest of the distance. If, however, we can only travel 60 miles on our tank he will provide the difference of 40 miles worth of gas.

But God's grace doesn't work this way. If we consider what Paul writes in the book of Romans:

As the Scriptures say, “No one is righteous—
not even one.
11 No one is truly wise;
no one is seeking God.
12 All have turned away;
all have become useless.
No one does good,
not a single one.”
-Romans 3:10-12

No one is righteous. Not even one. Even if we think we are seeking God, we aren't doing it by his perfect standard. Even if we think we are looking him in his face, when compaired to Jesus we have turned away. No one does good.....not a single one.

This means we have sugar water in our gas tank. We are trying to pay with worthless currency. We think we can go a long way toward God, but really we are paralyzed and can't move.

Getting back to the Grand Canyon analagy, if I can jump six feet from where I am standing I would need God to build a bridge 47,514 feet for me to reach him on the other side. My six foot jump may be impressive in a track meet, but it is totally useless when leaping the Grand canyon. Even if I set a world record and jumped 29.36 feet (set by Mike Powell in 1991), it would be worthless to me if trying to span the nine miles needed to reach the other side.

This is what Paul was talking about in the verse above. God doesn't build us a bridge 47,514 miles. His bridge has nothing to do with how far I can jump. He builds it from one side of the canyon to the other. He built it out of two simple pieces of wood about 2,000 years ago upon his son's back. That bridge still stands today for each of us. But we can't jump across it. We can only be carried across by Jesus, which is the Grace of God.

Thank you Lord for knowing that I had fallen short in all that I had done to reach you, and loving me anyway. I came to you once broken, but now I come to you strong in your Son. As I survey the cavern that I have crossed, help me to know that it is indeed just that. Crossed. Finished. And now I rest in you.