Asking for Grace

[Nate]

At my old company they used to "ask for grace" in all manner of things business related...this weekend, Jackie asked for grace with her sore throat (which I didn't really notice, so no worries Jackie, and thanks for the message!)...

why do we ask for grace? i say we because I've only really heard this expression in the evangelical community, locally.

isn't that something only God can give for sins we commit? I mean, having a sore throat isn't a sin. Nor is mismanaging a project in the corporate world. I think it's a popular saying within the evangelical community locally that I've heard, I don't know if anyone from the greater world of Christianity uses it. i'm wondering if there isn't a different way, perhaps one without the theological underpinnings, to beg off a little understanding and compassion in situations.

Thoughts?

[msh]

Nate,

I think that we focus on the sin/salvation aspects of grace a lot. But when you look at the simple definition of grace, it is the bestowment of something upon someone else (at the most simplistic level). There is a popular definition in religious circles that says grace is "God's unmerited favor." That is true. But is it not the whole truth. Just read Titus 2:12, referring to grace as "teach[ing] us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age." That is much more than salvation.

At some level, mercy is an aspect of grace. Mercy is often defined (in religious circles) as not receiving what you deserve. Actually the two religious definitions seem to be bookends — get what you don't deserve and don't get what you do. (That always makes me wonder about "traveling mercies." Are we to presume that we deserve accidents, flat tires and detours?? )

I would say that when the psalmist said "what shall I give unto the Lord for all His benefits toward me" he was talking about God's grace in many aspects. Yet sometimes we just throw out the word "grace" and blot the thought of what it actually is — benefits toward us. I think that the most relevant aspect of grace is the tangible realization that God has done something for us and our response is to praise Him for it. If we just talk about grace in generic terms, we lose sight of the actual, single acts of grace that draw us to God and cause us to praise Him.