Pray for Grace {31 Days}

May God’s grace be eternally upon all who love our Lord Jesus Christ.- Ephesians 6:24

One of the most recognizable songs in the world is “Amazing Grace.” Even people who don’t identify as Christians know the words and find some comfort in it.

But what is grace?

I looked up definitions in all the major dictionaries, and I like Google’s the best:

“[Grace is] the free and unmerited favor of God, as manifested in the salvation of sinners and the bestowal of blessings.”

Just the idea of having the favor of God should be enough to blow our minds. He offers us His ultimate grace in the form of salvation.  It’s free, unconditional, and available to everyone- no matter what we’ve done or who we are.

We only have to do one thing in order receive it: believe. (See John 3:16 and Ephesians 2:8-9)

His grace doesn’t stop at salvation. He gives us new graces every day (Lamentations 3:23). We only need to be willing to receive them.

Extending His grace to others

Another amazing thing about God’s grace is that receiving it empowers us to give it away.

Stop for a moment and reflect on that… God often chooses to use us- broken, sinful, messed up people- as vessels of His love for other people.

So, how do we go about extending grace in the middle of infertility?

Think about how many people you’ve encountered during infertility who do not merit your favor.

The co-worker you barely know who tells you infertility is a sign from God that you’d make a bad parent…

The friend who called you selfish when you gently declined her baby shower invitation (and sent a very nice gift)…

The husband who doesn’t see the need to comfort you as you cry over the arrival of your period…

None of these people deserve grace. But that’s exactly the definition of grace, isn’t it? “Unmerited” favor and blessings.

We shouldn’t allow ourselves to be abused, and there are healthy boundaries we need sometimes need to put in place to protect ourselves. But we can extend grace by praying for people who hurt us. We can refuse to spread gossip and vitriol. We can love and serve them to the best of our abilities.

God will give us the grace to do so. And that’s amazing, indeed!

************

Read all 31 Days here

************

31 Days of Prayer is available as an a Kindle eBook, a PDF eBook, and as a printed workbook.   All options come with all 31 devotionals plus additional prayer journal pages that are exclusive to the book.   Each journal page includes journaling prompts and more Scripture for further study.  You’ll also receive access to more content that isn’t available on the blog- like booklists, playlists, Scripture memorization cards, and computer wallpaper downloads.  You can purchase the workbook and Kindle book from Amazon, and the printable PDF is available here.

 

Connect with me on {Facebook} | {Pinterest} | {Twitter}| {Instagram}