Requesting the Grace of God

He has not dealt with us according to our sins, And He has not rewarded us according to our iniquities.

(Psalm 103:10)

We are not presenting our supplications before You on account of any righteousness of our own, but on account of Your abundant compassion.

(Daniel 9:18)

Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask the Father for anything in My name, He will give it to you.

(John 16:23)

You do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.

(James 4:2-3)

It is somewhat of a mental Copernican Revolution to adjust one’s prayers such that they are in deep recognition of the grace of God and frequently, explicitly seek the grace of God. It is not like asking for a pay rise. You cannot say, “Lord, I’ve been good recently so please restore my health.” You cannot say, “Lord, because I didn’t yell at my wife very much this year, please reward me with wealth and prosperity.”

The Lord does not give us according to what we deserve. If he did, he’d have given us all over to homosexual-serial-killing-insanity. Instead, he bestows common grace upon the world in general (like the sun rising and breath in the lungs) and special grace upon his people (deuteronomic blessings like faithful children, wise pastors, and health).

Prayer, therefore, should not frame requests to the Lord in terms that presuppose our deserving of the gift; for if we deserved it, it would no longer be a gift (cp Rom 4:4). Rather, pray that the Lord would not give us what we deserve, and rather that he would bestow his undeserved favour upon us for the sake of Christ.