Mercy and Grace

Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. –Hebrews 4:16

In both letters to his spiritual son, Timothy, Paul offers up a heart-felt prayer for God to supply his disciple with all the mercy and grace he needed to minister to others. In Hebrews, Paul encourages his readers to approach the very same throne of grace in order to receive mercy and grace in time of their need. Because mercy and grace are linked together, many Christians wrongly believe they are the same thing; they most definitely are not.

Mercy is God NOT GIVING something that we DO deserve, which is judgment, while grace is God GIVING us something that we DO NOT deserve, which is salvation. This distinction is a powerful one-two punch that should thrill the soul of every Christian, especially every Christian homeschooling parent. How so?

As human beings, we sin … often. We get angry without cause, or we get angry with cause but vent that anger in an unbiblical way toward our children or spouse. We make new resolves, only to massacre them the very next day. Despite what some say, God simply doesn’t overlook our sin; instead, He takes these abhorrent trespasses of His word and places them back at the cross of Calvary where Jesus Christ paid the price in full that our sin demands. The absolute total wrath that God has toward each of our sins was poured out upon the body of His own Son, and it satisfied Him so there is now no condemnation for us. His mercy covers our sins past, present, and future. Hallelujah!

Grace, on the other hand, is the empowerment of God to do what we cannot do on our own. We cannot save ourselves. God awakens us to our need of Him and causes us to be born again. We cannot walk a Christian life on our own, but the Holy Spirit takes residence within and sets us apart positionally even as He begins a process of bringing us into Christ image practically. I often tell God, “Thank you for your mercy, but I plead for more grace, so I don’t need as much mercy.” Truth be told, I will always need mercy as long as I walk in this fallen body of death.

We need homes that flow with mercy. Why? We sin. We offend and are offended. We fall short. We have personality flaws and weird idiosyncrasies. We can embitter or become embittered. We parents, especially fathers, can provoke our children to wrath and our children can push the button of our patience. We need parents who give mercy to their children, and, equally important, we need children who show mercy to their parents. When this happens, respect, joy, and humility permeate everyone’s hearts; it is a place of peace. But it doesn’t have to stop there.

When we pray for grace, God increasingly empowers us to greater obedience by taking out our heart of stone and replacing it with a heart of flesh. If we offended our child in times past, we may have blown it off with, “I’m the parent, and he is the child…” but now our heart deeply convicts us. We apologize and ask forgiveness. We take responsibility for our actions and do not minimize its impact. This change of heart is a result of God’s grace. Hopefully, our children too receive grace, and in becoming more like Christ, they grant us mercy.

The most wonderful news of all is that we can go into God’s presence and receive both mercy and grace from Him as we need it. Why can we go “confidently”? Are we that good? Are we that special? The obvious answer is, “No!” Rather, Jesus is that good and He is that special. He has chosen to love us and in doing so, He longs to pour out mercy and grace to us. In other words, He is just waiting for us to acknowledge His greatness and His goodness by asking Him for help.

We need to celebrate God’s mercy and grace daily; this is called worship. Because it is a part of His character, it needs to be part of ours. This month we are focusing on mercy and grace in our prayer requests. If you want to join us, there will be fasting on the second Tuesday of the month. Others are praying these requests throughout the entire month. During devotions at the Smith house, we take one each day, talking about why it is important and then committing it to prayer. This is home discipleship at its best! Please join us.

1. Pray that both parents and children will fully recognize their need of mercy and grace from our Lord, Jesus Christ. This is called regeneration. Many children from homeschooling families have been restrained by their parents from walking out into the depths of sin; nevertheless, they need to realize they are just as lost as someone who has.
   • But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” –Luke 5:8
   • And Achan answered Joshua, “Truly I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and this is what I did: –Joshua 7:20
     
2. Pray that we will truly see God for who He is, including a God that is full of mercy and grace. If we are in Christ, He is not mad or disappointed in us. He wants us to call upon Him for help.
   • Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, ⁴ who comforts us in all our affliction, –2 Cor. 1:3,4
   • … You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful. –James 5:11
     
3. As we increasingly come to see who God is, pray that our homes will flow with mercy toward one another. Pray that parents and children alike will give the same mercy to each other as we hope to receive from God.
   • But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. –James 3:17
   • bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. –Col. 3:13
     
4. Pray if there is bitterness or unforgiveness, especially among older children, that grace will soften hearts and mercy will be break forth like a flood.
   • For I see that you are in the gall^[c] of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity.” ²⁴ And Simon answered, “Pray for me to the Lord, that nothing of what you have said may come upon me.”– Acts 8:23,24
   • See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled; –Hebrews 12:15
   • But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. –Hebrews 3:13
     
5. Pray that the Holy Spirit will break down any hesitancies or wrong perspectives that would deceive us into thinking we cannot call out for mercy and grace. Pray the Holy Spirit will help us see our sins and weaknesses, not as disqualifications, but as necessary qualifiers for us to receive His mercy and grace.
   • And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” –Mark 2:17
   • The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. –Psalms 34:18
     
6. Pray that our confidence before God will erupt, not because of what we do but because of what He has already done.
   • There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. –Romans 8:1
   • For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. –Galatians 5:1
     
7. Pray that we will come to see grace, not as permission to live like we want, but God’s empowerment to live like we ought, and that any time we do not, we will receive His loving conviction and chastening.
   • For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, ¹² training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, –Titus 2:11,12
   • What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? ² By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it⁶ We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. –Romans 6:1,2,6
     
8. Pray that as we parents disciple and necessarily discipline our children, we will seek to do so in a way that reflects the mercy and grace of the Heavenly Father.
   • Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? –Hebrews 12:9
   • Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? ¹⁰ Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? ¹¹ If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him! –Matthew 7:9-11
     
9. Pray that the shame that sin produces will be driven out of our homes so that we can live lives of genuine freedom before God and man.
   • Instead of your shame there shall be a double portion; instead of dishonor they shall rejoice in their lot; therefore in their land they shall possess a double portion; they shall have everlasting joy –Is. 61:7
   • Uphold me according to your promise, that I may live, and let me not be put to shame in my hope! –Psalms 199:16
     
10. Pray that parents and children will know that God Himself is praying and pulling for them.
    • My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. –1 John 2:1
    • Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. –Romans 8:26
      
11. Pray that humility will be one of the defining characteristics in our homes. Without humility, we will see little reason to show mercy to others. Pray that we will not minimize our sin while we maximize others, especially when it affects us.
    • Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” –1 Peter 5:8
    • with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, –Eph. 4:2