“He raised up David to be their king, of whom he testified and said, ‘I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will’” (Acts 13:22 ESV).
I have a painting in my rec room. It's a painting of a lighthouse, and the painter specifically painted it for me – I described it from my mind, and he painted it. For as long as I can remember, I’ve always liked lighthouses and what they represent. Also, I’ve always loved the painter and what he has represented.
I was a Christian of three years when we met. We became close friends and started a small men’s group together. He was a leader in the church, a son of a preacher. Not surprisingly, I looked up to him, went to him for advice, and shared things with him that I wouldn’t with others. I remember one lunch I had with him where I told him he was “my David” (the psalmist) – a pillar in the community, a leader in the church, an example of what a father and husband should be. I called him “my David” as a form of the highest praise.
And then he fell from grace. I’ll share no details of that fall, for that is his story to tell, but I will say this: He did not get caught! He came forward and confessed to his family, his pastor, his church, and us – his closest friends. It was during another lunch that he confessed to me. I could see the pain in his face, hear it in his voice. The shame of hurting so many people. What was my response?
I looked him in the eyes and told him he’d been “my David.” I proceeded to tell him he was now more “David” in my eyes than he had ever been. You see, King David fell from grace multiple times, yet he was called by God: “A man after my own heart” (Acts 13:22). There before me was “David,” a man who had fallen but could be restored.
The community looked on from the outside to see what “the church” would do to this man, for this particular church body did not have a great reputation for restoring the fallen. I titled this post, “Caught! Falling from Grace.” But, he was not caught, he confessed. Who caught him? His church caught him. They caught his fall.
Those of us who are strong and able in the faith need to step in and lend a hand to those who falter, and not just do what is most convenient for us. Strength is for service, not status. Each one of us needs to look after the good of the people around us, asking ourselves, ‘How can I help?’ (Rom. 15:1–2 MSG)
They loved him. They helped restore his family. They helped him heal. They restored him back into the church family. The community saw something they had, possibly, never seen before: a man fallen from grace, lifted up by his church family. He was also caught by his friends: we showed unconditional forgiveness, we helped to restore him from that fall. His family caught him: they did not dig him deeper into despair – they, too, showed incredible forgiveness.
And Jesus! Jesus caught him. Jesus extended His hand, as he did to the sinking Peter, and lifted him up! Of all the restoration that happened, none was more powerful to witness than the grace and forgiveness extended by the hand of Jesus, watching this man return to matchless grace. There is no greater lighthouse than the Christ who guides us away from troubled waters, yet unlike a lighthouse, if the troubled waters come crashing over us, He will come running to lift us out of despair.
There is no greater lighthouse than the Christ who guides us away from troubled waters, yet unlike a lighthouse, if the troubled waters come crashing over us, He will come running to lift us out of despair.
What do you do when someone you love deeply, someone you admire greatly, falls from grace? Are you going to push them further down, or will you lift them out? If they fall, go – and catch them!
“If they fall, it isn’t fatal, for the Lord holds them with his hand” (Ps. 37:24 TLB).