Prayer Thought: Don’t Just Say Grace

We all do it. It’s an interesting issue and topic of discussion, to be certain. What is meant by the phrase, “Let’s say grace.” Or “Who’s asking the blessing?” It’s almost a knee-jerk reaction for those who grew up in church. And for those that didn’t but started going, they learned really quickly that nobody eats before we “say grace!”

I’m not at all saying we shouldn’t thank the Lord for our blessings of food and drink and many, many other wonderful things He has provided for us. 

But this word GRACE has baffled me for a long time and I think it wise to shed a bit more light on it than let it be “somewhat” reduced to a mealtime ritual word at times.

In order for us to experience God-dependent, fervent, joy-filled, gospel-driven prayer, GRACE must be the linchpin! Grace is what allows us to come to God in the first place. Without God’s grace through Christ’s life, death, resurrection, and ascension, we’re all hopeless sinners, lost, finished, kaput, nixed! Grace is anything but a transitional prayer before a meal. Grace is EVERYTHING we have…any and all blessings, any and all joy and delight, any and all power through the Spirit, any and all that is good and right and fair and just. It’s all due to God’s amazing grace.

So, God-dependent praying is praying IN grace! This is what we’re after when we meet with the Lord privately, in smaller groups, and corporately. We must be a team (which I believe we are) enamored by grace, enthralled by it, engulfed, and set ablaze by it! Our work has so much more meaning and purpose when we pray in this way. By all means pray before meals, but remember “saying grace” means SO much more!

Prayer Action:

This week let’s focus on God’s unrelenting grace toward us when we spend time with Him in prayer. We have so much to be thankful for. Let God-dependency rule your heart this week. Allow Romans 6:14 and 1 Corinthians 15:10 be your meditation

Blessings,

 

 

Clay

 

 

 

Clayton J. Elliott, Kontaktmission USA
Director of Pastoral Ministries and Prayer
clay@GoKMUSA.org