The Hidden Power of Prayer: Grace
Introduction
Almost all Christians struggle with prayer. One survey found that only 2% of respondents say they are very satisfied with their overall prayer lives. The biggest barrier often mentioned is distraction. Sometimes we can’t find the words we really want to say. We deal with guilt when we do not find time to pray. We wonder if we’re “doing it right.” We may be concerned that God is unhappy with us because of these struggles.
Oswald Chambers wrote, “Prayer is the exercise of drawing on the grace of God.” We often forget the hidden power of prayer: grace. What is the connection between grace and prayer?
1. Getting Acquainted With Grace
I do not recall hearing much about the grace of God in my growing up years in the church. It’s very possible I wasn’t paying attention.The effects of a graceless religion are devastating.
-The elusive unforgiven sin could cause one to be lost.
-One can feel saved one moment, lost the next.
-There can be no joy when there is no certainty, and if there is no grace, there is no certainty!
-The cycle of striving to be religious, falling short, and begging for forgiveness can repeat itself multiple times in a single day.
It is exhausting. We can never do enough. We can never be enough. I hope this is not common among believers, but I have observed it often.
The message of grace is clearly presented.
Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God— not because of works, lest any man should boast.” If you want to know how big a struggle it is to accept Grace, just listen to us argue with God about it. Grace, but …Grace, and…Grace, plus… This is the underlying enemy to our ability to have a relationship with Abba that we most desire — and that he wants to have with us.
Grace is the unearned favor of God. It is a free gift. Grace is not insurance for the gap. We don’t earn any of it. The only hope we have is grace. This will dramatically influence our prayers.
2. THREE QUALITIES OF GOD’S GRACE IN THE BEGINNING
PURPOSEFUL
Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” We are impressed with the power of God to create. We know that after creating the perfect atmosphere, on the sixth day he created Adam - fully grown, and at some point afterward, Eve. The fellowship God had with them is amazing to read - as God walked with Adam in the cool of the morning. This picture of God and the first humans is the ideal - it is what God intentionally created and he called it good. His interaction with the lower creatures is grace - even before the fall - it was grace that He extended to them.
RESTORATIVE
Fellowship was disrupted by breaking the one rule they had. (Humans are notorious rule breakers and cannot ever
be saved by our ability to keep all the rules!). Adam and Eve were filled with shame over their sin and over the realization that they were naked - and tried to cover themselves. (Gen 3:6-7). The problem with fig leaves is that they are a temporary solution to an eternal problem and God was not interested in patching over the tear.
(Genesis 3:9) See the Grace in this…
-God certainly knows where Adam is
-He knows what they did.
-He knows what was set into motion.
-He knows what he must do.
-He knows the Garden will no longer be the home.
-He knows their fellowship has been deeply affected.
Yet he seeks them. He talks to them about what has happened. He removes them from paradise and guards the entrance. And then God does something unexpected. Genesis 3:21 “And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins, and clothed them." This did not remove the consequences of their sins, but God moved toward restoring the fellowship that sin had ruptured.
CONNECTED
Philip Yancey, in What’s So Amazing About Grace, writes, “In a manner of speaking, grace solves a dilemma for God. You do not have to read far in the Bible to detect an underlying tension in how God feels about humanity. On
the one hand, God loves us; on the other hand, our Behavior repulses him. God yearns to see in people something of his own image reflected; at best he sees shattered fragments of that image. Still, God cannot—or will not—give up.” If we could cross the broken bridge to God on our own, the Bible would have only a few chapters. Adam and Eve could figure out how to live righteously and showed us how to do it. The story could end. But it doesn’t.
Grace is the hidden power of prayer because in it, I recognize that God purposefully wants to have fellowship with me, he approaches with restoration in mind, and he stays connected when it would be easy for him to walk away.
2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 “Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word.”
3. JESUS DEMONSTRATED THE FATHER’S GRACE
John’s Gospel begins at the Creation, the beginning. After years of Hebrew history, the long-prophesied Messiah stepped into humanity and lived among humans in an entirely different way than was experienced before. John 1:14 “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; we have beheld his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father.” What Qualities of Grace do we see in Jesus?
Jesus Walked With the Unworthy. Peter was well aware of this as he humbled himself before the Messiah and said, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord” (Luke 5:8). Our sinfulness and his holiness are quite a contrast. Like the king of old, we are weighed in the balance and found wanting. Yet Jesus is full of grace. Jesus came to embrace, to share, to cover our shameful nakedness with grace.
Jesus came to give us both grace and truth. John 1:16 “And from his fullness have we all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” Truth is essential for our ability to follow Jesus, and grace is essential because we will ultimately continue to struggle with sin.
Jesus came to rescue sinners. What does he do with rescued sinners? He adopts them and welcomes them into His family. After the resurrection, on Pentecost, Peter proclaimed God’s grace. (Acts 2:36-37 “Let all the house of Israel therefore know assuredly that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.” Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brethren, what shall we do?”) To the fearful and broken Israelites on the day of Pentecost, grace rains down in the first gospel sermon: “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. –Acts 2:38.
Peter offered hope full of grace to those who could not travel back in time and avoid their error. The church was born. God gathered his people into a new family of believers, and great grace was upon them all. This is to be our experience today as well. Leroy Garrett wrote, “The apostle Peter preached the gospel of the grace of God, and thousands were baptized. God’s grace does not remember the past, it redeems it. And grace secures the future for those who accept it.”
Conclusion
God’s grace is purposeful, restorative, and connective.
Jesus demonstrated God’s grace by walking with the unworthy, bringing us both grace and truth, and rescuing sinners and adopting them into his family!
When we comprehend the vast and overarching grace of God, our prayers take on new meaning and depth.
Hebrews 4:16 (NLT) “So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.”
I’m so grateful it’s not a throne of judgment
Or a throne for the spiritually elite.
It’s not a throne of correction for those who stumble.
Because it’s a throne of grace…
- You can let your guard down. God already knows everything about you. Just be honest and speak to Him from your heart.
You can confess freely. The sins that weigh you down are already known to Him. You can lay them aside so you can run the race set before you (Hebrews 12:1).
You can ask without fear. God knows both your needs and your desires. When you bring your requests, He knows how to sort the truly good from the merely good-sounding.
You can pray in weakness or strength. Some days your prayers will be well-shaped and thoughtful; other times you may only manage a few weary words. Grace holds you in both moments.
You come before the throne not because you deserve to — but because the door is open, the King is welcoming, and He is listening. That’s the hidden power of prayer - but it’s hidden only when we forget how gracious God truly is.
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Discussion Questions
1. How has your personal experience with prayer changed as you've matured spiritually? What barriers do you still face?
2. The sermon cites distraction and guilt as common struggles—why do you think these have such power over us?
3. What are some misconceptions about grace you encountered in your upbringing or early Christian experience? How do you see the effects of “graceless religion” play out in real-life church relationships and community?
4. How did Jesus reveal and demonstrate God's grace through His actions and interactions with others?
5. How do Jesus’ words and deeds show that grace is both purposeful and restorative?
6. Why is it important to understand that Jesus came to give us both grace and truth?
7. How can an awareness of God's unearned and unmerited favor influence the way we pray?
8. How does understanding the purposefulness, connectedness, and restorative qualities of grace encourage us to pray more boldly and with confidence? (Hebrews 4:16)
9. In what ways can we practice being more aware of God's grace during prayer?
