Oh I am so grateful for the grace of God, because we could not be saved without it. In the Scriptures – God’s grace is described as all-abundant (Romans 5:19-20), and glorious (Ephesians 1:6). Wow! Just ponder for a moment how the Scriptures describe that grace. When we realize that God does not owe us anything (as a matter of fact what we deserve is eternal damnation and destruction) and yet He pours out His grace on us, it should bring us to our knees in praise (Romans 3:23) (Romans 6:23). We must remember that only by God’s grace is salvation possible (Ephesians 2:8-9) (Hebrews 4:16). Here is a Puritan prayer for grace. Notice the deep felt need for the grace of God in this man’s life.
O LORD,
Thou knows my great unfitness for service, my present deadness, my inability to do anything for thy glory, my distressing coldness of heart. I am weak, ignorant, unprofitable, and loathe and abhor myself. I am at a loss to know what Thou wouldest have me do, for I feel amazingly deserted by Thee, and sense Thy presence so little; Thou makest me possess the sins of my youth, and the dreadful sin of my nature, so that I feel all sin, I cannot think or act but every motion is sin. Return again with showers of converting grace to a poor gospel-abusing sinner.
Help my soul to breathe after holiness, after a constant devotedness to Thee, after growth in grace more abundantly every day. O LORD, I am tossed in the pursuit of this blessedness, and am ready to sink because I fall short of my desire; Help me to hold out a little longer, until the happy hour of deliverance comes, for I cannot lift my soul to Thee if Thou of Thy goodness bring me not nigh. Help me to be diffident, watchful, tender, lest I offend my blessed Friend in thought and behavior; I confide in Thee and lean upon Thee, and need Thee at all times to assist and lead me. O that all my distresses and apprehensions might prove but Christ’s school to make me fit for greater service by teaching me the great lesson of humility.
O May we realize that without the grace of God, we would find ourselves in the very despair of this Puritan. Today, think about how much grace has been exercised towards you, and praise the LORD for it.