God’s Surprising Pathway to the Throne of Grace

Introduction: Our perplexing experience with the Throne of Grace…

• Every prayer is heard

1 Peter 3:12 – “For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer…” 

• Not every prayer is answered as we expect

To understand God’s surprising pathway to the Throne of Grace, we must embrace… 

• The right definition of prayer –
  • Our definition sets our destination
  • Prayer” “Intimacy with God that leads to the fulfillment of His purposes”

• The ultimate purpose of prayer –

1 Peter 5:10 – And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.

“It appears that all that is ever spoken of in the Scripture as an ultimate end of God’s works is included in that one phrase, the glory of God.” Jonathan Edwards

• The assured provision of prayer – 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 

• The “On-Ramp” – v. 7
• The Opposition – v. 7
• The Objective – vv. 8-9
• The Outcome – v. 9 – 10 

Grace = God doing for us, in us, and through us what only He can do through the person and power of Jesus Christ 

• Grace —> Strength in our weakness
• Grace —> Sufficient for our needs

John 1:16 – For out of His fullness (abundance) we have all received [all had a share and we were all supplied with] one grace after another and spiritual blessing upon spiritual blessing and even favor upon favor and gift [heaped] upon gift.  (Amplified) 

Conclusion: Prayer is our lifetime of fresh discovery that “God has tailor-made grace for everything we face.”