The prayer covenant is woven around ten themes: Grace, Love, Compassion, Repentance, Worship, Commitment, Dependence, Influence and Authority. It all begins with Grace.
Grace is unmerited; we do not deserve it. We are unworthy to receive it and that’s what makes it so amazing. We begin to understand God’s amazing grace only when we recognize our unworthiness, our sin and our inability to measure up to a holy God. Grace exchanges doubt and despair for hope and life. It says, “You are worthy. I made you in my image for my purposes. I love you.” Grace means being loved even when you didn’t do anything to deserve that love.
Jesus, the lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29), graciously extends His love and grace to you and me.
In our daily lives, we all have met people who were grace filled as well as those who didn’t have a deep understanding of grace. Maybe it’s watching someone’s response to a senior who keeps asking the same question over and over. Perhaps it is a parent’s response to a child who is continually crying for attention. Or maybe it is simply someone’s response to a difficult situation.
Grace takes forms and shapes in our hearts and lives. As followers of Christ, we are invited to partake of His extravagant grace and share it freely with others. Grace lays the foundation of our walk with Jesus because we cannot be channels of His grace to others if we ourselves lack a clear understanding of grace.
It is so easy to get caught up in the business of life. We wake up with a list of to-do’s that never seem to end. There are unplanned, unexpected things requiring our attention that add to the stress and pressure and as we hurry through our day, trying to accomplish the tasks at hand. We may rudely brush aside individuals in hopes of minimizing distraction and interaction. Maybe our curt response to a bank clerk, someone that cuts in front of us, or a screaming toddler at the moment seems justified; we’ve all been there. But at the close of the day, feel convicted that handled differently, you might have had an opportunity to speak a kind word, or simply extend grace.
To imagine what would Jesus do in any given situation is an intentional process. I Peter 2:21 reminds us that we are called to follow in the steps of Jesus. Certainly easier said than done.
