When we see beauty, even if it is on the easel of an unbelieving artist, in the writing of an unconverted novelist, or in the face of a supermodel, we trace it to the Beautiful One and worship Him.

When we see power, even when exercised by a non-Christian President, even when bursting out of the biceps of an atheist weightlifter, even when in the legs of a leopard, we trace it to the Powerful One and worship Him.

When we see wisdom, even when it’s displayed by a secular journalist, or a Muslim neighbor, or an unbelieving lecturer, we trace it to the Wise One and worship Him.

When we see love, even in imperfect relationships, in our unbelieving children, or in the patriotic soldier sacrificing His life for his friends, we trace it to the One who is Love and worship Him.

When we see loyalty, even in a 25-year employee, even in the patriotism of the French, even in that of a dog to His master, we trace it to the covenant faithfulness and unbreakable loyalty of the Faithful and Loyal One and worship Him.

When we see patience, even in most of the drivers stuck in the same snarl-up, in the irreligious nurse, or in the Home Depot employee as he deals with our stupid questions, we trace it to the One who is powerfully patient and worship Him.

When we see mercy or truthfulness, or whatever other virtue, wherever we see it, we use it to rise up to its ultimate source and worship Him.

The temptation is to take it for granted, or overlook or take no notice of it, or even to attribute it to the person rather than to God. But that’s not what the Psalmist did. He deliberately opened His eyes and sought out evidences of God’s common (or “everywhere”) grace and wherever He found it – in fields, in the sky, in the seasons, in the animals, in people, and even in military victories – He turned that everywhere grace to God’s everywhere glory in celebratory praises and humble worship (Psalm 65:5-13; 104:13-24; 145:9, 15, 16; esp look at the chorus in Psalm 136).

And it’s not just the externals – the outward person or the external environment – that it impacts. It also influences the inner person, though without going so far as to save the soul. It imparts and stirs up human virtues such as generosity, patience, and parental love. It exerts a moral influence, giving our consciences a sense of right and wrong, and provoking  guilt to restrain further sin. It works on the heart but it does not renew nor regenerate it.

More grace is needed.

Or rather a different kind of grace is needed: the special, sovereign, and saving love of God.

However, we mustn’t separate these two kinds of grace entirely; they are intimately connected; the one should lead to the other. Everywhere grace is given to lead people to seek God’s special saving grace. So much everywhere grace is given that it leaves us without excuse for not seeking special grace (Rom. 1:20).

Everywhere grace is intended to draw us and call us to the special grace that’s located only in Christ. Paul challenges all recipients of everywhere grace: “Do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?” (Rom. 2:4).

Do you see that? One of the most powerful tools in our evangelistic armoury is the goodness of God. If we only tell people about their sin, and refuse to point out God’s mercy and grace already in their lives, we are missing out a vital evangelistic lever. By highlighting God’s existing mercy and grace we encourage sinners to seek even more of it (2 Peter 3:9).

Everywhere grace does not save, but it does point us to the One who does.

Why do the evil have such full freezers and why do the wicked have such happy times? God’s everywhere grace that fills their hearts with food and gladness (Acts 14:17).

God’s everywhere grace is everywhere and experienced by everyone. Or to put it negatively, there is no one and no place on earth that is devoid of everywhere grace (Ps. 145:9; Acts 14:15-16).

Scottish islands and North Korean Gulags
That’s not just true of the Grand Canyon, the Niagara Falls, and the Scottish islands. Go to the the most notorious high security prison in Venezuala, go to North Korea’s gulags, go to Al Qaeda training camps in Pakistan, and there you’ll find some evidences of God’s everywhere grace.

Find the most sadistic child-abuser, the most disturbed serial killer, or the most monstrous terrorist, and you’ll find everywhere grace somewhere in their lives. You’ll find some faint traces of God’s undeserved kindness. Even breath itself.

It’s hard to see – the evil is so thick and dark that it almost envelops everything else – but awful though these places and people are, none of them are as bad as they possibly could be. The Lord lightens every person that comes into the world (John 1:4).

Even the most hardened criminals have some code of honor that draws the line somewhere in what they would do or not do. North Korean prison guards can still extend surprising mercy to their terrified captives. Al Qaeda operatives cook one another food and share funny stories around their camp fires. These are only traces, the remaining vapors of God’s everywhere grace, I know, but still, if we can see it there and in these people, can we not more easily see it in our workplaces and in our boss?

Grace for animals?
And even if for a time you cannot see God’s everywhere grace in the people around you, what about the animals? Yes, God’s everywhere grace extends to animals too. Why don’t the animals tear one another to pieces until there’s only one left? What can explain the affection of our dogs, the playfulness or our cats, and the cuteness of our hamsters? Yes, God’s every-animal grace.

Of course, God’s everywhere grace is not everywhere in the same proportions. God gives it according to His sovereign wisdom and power, and He chooses to give more of it to some people and places than to others.

Here’s a question for you: Does God sometimes give more of His everywhere grace to unbelievers than he does to believers (those who have been given His special saving grace)? Does that explain why we sometimes find unbelievers are kinder and just nicer people than some Christians?

See Previous Post: God’s Everywhere Grace

Is that all you see? Is there nothing good you can think of?

What about the time he helped you start your car that icy morning? What about his devotion to his wife (despite their noisy arguments)? Or his kindness to your children? Or his heroic service in Operation Desert Storm?

Are these qualities not worth pondering and appreciating?

Barking boss and complaining customers
Now let’s get in the SUV and go to your workplace. Right, what do you see there?

A barking boss, cheating colleagues, complaining customers, and unreliable computers?

Is that all you see? I know it’s all you talk about when you come home every night. But are you seeing the whole picture? Is there no one with any skill or talent? Does everyone treat everyone like dirt every day? Are there no kind words or actions in the rest zone or staff room? Think of all that the machines and computers do accomplish each day. Do customers never express appreciation?

Seriously ask yourself, challenge yourself, are you seeing the whole picture? Or are you overlooking or ignoring a number of benefits and blessings in your workplace?

Damaging and deliberate blindness
If I’ve just described you at home or at work, then you are closing your eyes, ears, and minds to the grace of God, which is not only a serious sin, but it’s also incredibly damaging to you.

“Never!” you retort. “I deeply appreciate God’s grace, I talk about it all the time. But these people and places are just sinful. They have no idea of God’s grace. The people are lost and going to hell. The places are fallen and decaying and destined for everlasting burning. I know God’s grace when I see it, and it ain’t anywhere to be found over the fence or in the factory.”

I agree that these people and places are marred by sin and misery; without salvation, they are doomed. And yet, and yet, I insist that you are choosing not to see the grace of God in these people and places. I’m not talking about God’s saving grace of course, but about what is often called His common grace.

Saving grace is reserved for God’s people alone and results in their salvation and sanctification. Common grace, is experienced by everyone to one degree or another, and although this results in signifcant benefits and blessings in everyone’s lives, it does not save nor sanctify anyone.

Common grace includes all the gifts and blessings God distributes to everyone (hence “common”) and His restraining of evil in us and around us. All of that, the positive giving and the negative restraining, is grace, because it’s God dealing with His creatures in mercy, not justice. As John Murray put it: “Common grace is every favour of whatever kind or degree, falling short of salvation, which this undeserving and sin-cursed world enjoys at the hand of God.”

Deny and downplay sin?
I don’t want to deny or downplay sin and its terrible impact on our world and its people, on our neighbors and family. However, if all we see in these areas is sin and misery, we’re closing our eyes to God’s work of grace all over the world and all around us. Yes, God’s common grace is really that common; it extends to all places and all people. There’s no inch or milimeter, tribe or people, neighbor or son, where His grace is not found to some degree.

If we do shut out common grace we’re also shutting down worship and joy, because the more we recognize God’s common grace, the more we will worship God and the more joy we will have in our lives. Common grace produces common worship and common joy. It will change the way we look at everyone and everyplace. Instead of just looking for evidence of sin, usually not hard to find, we will also look for evidence of God’s work, and rejoice in it. We will be less suspicious and cynical, more open to beauty, more enthusiastic to praise and appreciate God and His works.

It may sound more pious to only focus on the sin and lostness of people. But if we do that, if we exclude from view God’s work in, through, and around them, we are shutting our eyes to a beautiful part of God’s daily work and we are missing an opportunity to worship Him for His gracious work.

Renaming ceremony
To help us prise open our eyes and hearts to God’s common grace, let’s start by renaming it. “Common” sounds so, well, common. It could be read and heard in a demeaning way, as if it’s grace that’s not worth much, cheap grace as it were. So let’s call it “everywhere grace.” I toyed with the idea of calling it “everywhere love” as love is easier for most people to understand than grace. However, love can be deserved; grace, by definition, can never be deserved. As we need to preserve the “underserving” nature of this, let’s just call it “everywhere grace.” And let it lead to everywhere worship and everywhere joy.

Next: God’s Every-Animal Grace