A Prayer When it Feels Like You Don’t Have Enough Grace for the Day
By Heidi Vegh
“You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You Because he trusts in You. Trust in the Lord forever, For in Yah, the Lord, is everlasting strength.” - Isaiah 26:3-4 (NKJV)
Grace is such a beautiful word. The Greek word for grace is charis. Its basic idea is simply unearned favor, an unearned gift, blessings or favor bestowed as a gift, freely and never as a reward for work performed. Grace is receiving what we do not deserve. In our busy, crazy, and upside-down worlds, grace is something that we all desperately need. We are not perfect. We are humans living in a fallen world, and we don’t deserve forgiveness or grace. We make mistakes every day, and no matter how hard we try to achieve perfection, we will always fall short.
The good news is that when Jesus sacrificed Himself on the cross to die for our sins, our shortcomings and wrongdoings were washed away. He died so that we could live under His umbrella of grace. It is easy to beat ourselves up when things go wrong or we make mistakes. We spend hours wishing things were different, hoping we would have said something different or maybe nothing. We run scenarios repeatedly in our heads, trying to make sense of them and find the grace for ourselves that we so desperately need.
When we are in a toxic downward spiral of condemnation, but we don’t have to give ourselves enough grace. We can rely on the free gift of grace that Jesus extends to us.
“He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his purpose and grace. This grace was given to us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time” - 2 Timothy 1:9
It can be hard to accept the free gift of grace when we don’t feel like we deserve it. But in Jesus' kingdom, we do not live by the world's rules of deserving or undeserving.
“…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” - Romans 3:23
So, if today you feel like you are epically falling short and grace is in short supply, let us lean on the grace of Jesus—today and always.
Let’s pray:
Lord, I feel weary, unworthy, and unsure of whether I have enough grace to get me through this day. I long to feel the weight of my mistakes lifted off of my shoulders and into your gracious hands. Help me let go of the notion that I either deserve or do not deserve grace. I know that we all fall short, as we are all humans and are all in desperate need of your forgiveness and grace. So today, Lord, as I feel depleted, I lift all of my unworthiness, mistakes, shortcomings, and ways I am not living up to your standards into your gracious hands. I bow before you in the throne room of grace and humbly surrender to you.
I need your grace today, Jesus. I need your peace, and I need your forgiveness. Forgive me for my pride as I struggle to surrender. Forgive me for my tendency to lean on other people to find acceptance and grace. Forgive me for all the ways I come up short. Forgive me for trying to work things out independently without coming to you first. Fill me with your precious Holy Spirit today, and help me to rest in your presence. You promise peace and rest in your word, and I want to soak in that truth today. Thank you for your word, which is filled with truths that I can cling to when the condemnation is just too much. Thank you for your peace, your rest, and your grace. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins so I don’t have to make up for my shortcomings.
In your precious name, Jesus, amen.
Heidi Vegh is a writer, speaker, and ministry leader living in Western Washington. She is a remarried mother of four, navigating the blended family life after the loss of her first husband to cancer in 2013. She longs to use her writing as a way to encourage others who have experienced loss and guide them on the road to healing. She contributes to her blog found at www.mrsheidivegh.com , sharing stories and devotionals of faith stemming from her loss and healing, mothering, and her blended and complex family. She graduated from Southern New Hampshire University with a degree in Creative Writing and English and is working on her first book. Heidi is the Women’s Ministry Director at her local church and has a deep heart for sharing Jesus with women and encouraging them in their faith walk. When she is not writing, she loves to travel, read, craft, and experiment in the kitchen. Visit her Facebook and Instagram (@mrsheidivegh) to learn more.
Related Resource: Jesus Calling - Stories of Faith
Kerry Washington. Andrea Bocelli. Reba McEntire. Mark Wahlberg. Tony Dungy. Matthew McConaughey, What do all of these people have in common? They are all people of faith who have leaned on God in both the good and challenging times—and they’ve shown up to tell their story of faith on The Jesus Calling Podcast. The Jesus Calling Podcast provides a place for people from all walks of life to share the heartaches, joys, and divine moments that keep them going.
Inspired by Sarah Young's classic devotional book, the Jesus Calling podcast has brought encouragement and peace to millions. New episodes drop every Thursday! Listen today on LifeAudio.com or wherever you find your podcasts.
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Originally published Thursday, 11 July 2024.
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