PRAY EVERY DAY - Day 14: Pastor Kjell Axel Johanson
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“In (Jesus) we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace, which He lavished upon us ….”
Ephesians 1:7-8 (ESV)
A huge part of maturing in Christ is discovering your new identity in Him. As we said yesterday, that understanding will take your prayer life to a whole new level. After the Bible tells us we were chosen by God even before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless, we are told in Ephesians 1:7-9 (ESV) just how God makes this possible, transforming sinners into the righteousness of God. It says, “In (Jesus) we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace, which He lavished upon us.”
Redemption comes from two Greek words that mean “to ransom in full from sin, deliverance.” Jesus paid the sin debt in our lives when He shed His own blood for the forgiveness of our sins! The Bible says that without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sin in Hebrews 9:22. When Jesus provided our redemption through His blood that our sins may be forgiven, He did it according to the riches of His grace, which He lavished upon us!
I love that word, “lavished.” It means “exceeding abundance! More than enough!” It reminds me of what Romans 5:20 says. I love the way The Living Bible paraphrases this passage. “… the more we see our sinfulness, the more we see God’s abounding grace forgiving us.”
Maybe, like me, there have been times when you thought of yourself as too sinful to pray, too dirty to come into His presence, too undeserving. Like Peter, you may have cried out, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O LORD!” Luke 5:8 (ESV) But Jesus wasn’t having it! He lavished on Peter His grace and forgiveness and pictured for Him a new future, a new purpose, and a divine destiny! God is not through with you, either. He has a calling on your life. In those times when you struggle to enter His presence and don’t even have the words to say, the Bible tells us in Romans 8:26-27 (NLT), “… the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will.”
There will be moments in prayer like that for you. There have been for me. As you pray every day, know that when you can’t articulate in words the brokenness of your heart, the Holy Spirit takes over and prays from within you, connecting with the Father’s will through groans that cannot even be uttered. He does this because Jesus lavished His grace on you! His grace is greater than all our sins and redeems our lives through His blood shed for us!
“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.” Hebrews 4:16 (NLT)
Another important part of your daily devotional is spending time with God in prayer. The Woodlands Church Prayer Board lists prayer requests submitted by our members and provides a way to send them some encouragement by using a button on the page to let them know that you prayed for them. Whether you use the Prayer Board, or pray from your heart, the goal is to build the habit of incorporating prayer into your quiet time.
Need prayer yourself? Let us know by submitting a prayer request on the Woodlands Church Prayer Board.