This hymn is a type of prayer. The lyrics and melody have us reaching up to the Lord so that we may draw to ourselves His strength and goodness. Please give it a sing-along listen, then come back and we’ll talk about how to get such prayers answered.

The first key to getting prayers answered

The first key to receiving things in this life is to learn what is available. If you want something that is not available, you are not going to get it. You can pray, beg, work, smile, complain or hold your breath until you turn blue — but if the thing is not available you are not going to get it.

To receive anything in this life, it must be available. It is almost impossible to live around autos and internet and not know of too many things available that can vacuum up our time, attention and money. That learning is almost unavoidable.

But when it comes to getting prayers answered, we still need to know what is available. How can we learn what God has made available?

God’s instructions carry promises

One way to learn what God makes available is to learn what He has instructed. God’s requests and instructions to us — commandments, if you prefer — always carry a promise of “available”.

When He says, “I want all to be saved” then it must be available to all.
The instruction is “get saved”. The promise is “I can be saved”.

When He says “Hate what is evil; cling to what is good” then it must be available.
The instruction carries the promises that we can know what is good and evil and
we can hate evil and cling to what is good.

When He says “Lead every thought captive to Christ” then it must be true that there are no thoughts so powerful, evil or disgusting that they cannot be brought into line by bringing them to Christ.
The instruction is to control our thinking. The promise is we can control our thinking.

The Lord’s requests to us include the promise that the request can be done and the doing of it will deliver His intended benefit.

Give this idea a whirl — read these three chapters — Romans 12, Ephesians 4 and Colossians 3. Watch for the instruction and notice the promise. You’ll be wonderfully blessed by the instructions and promises in those three chapters AND you’ll get practice seeing God’s “good and acceptable and perfect will” as you continue reading. Neat!

Notice how this search for what God says is available takes the focus off of “I, me, my, mine — how I feel, what I want, what I lack” and puts the focus on learning and acting on God’s instructions and receiving His promises. We might picture ourselves as gardeners acting on and receiving the promise of increase by preparing the soil, planting, tending and harvesting in due season.

Prayers of affirmation

Our song illustrates another kind of prayer, which is to affirm — to agree — with something God has already declared. We can affirm in different ways, including in a private prayer conversation with the Lord, and as we are doing here by singing together.

Why affirm something God has said? One reason is to get our thinking lined up with God’s thinking, which helps us get our actions lined up with His will, which results in receiving the benefits built into obeying His instructions.

“♫♪ God of grace and God of glory, on Your people pour Your power ♫♪”.
We read in Acts 2 that God already poured out His power on His people. So are we telling Him to do something He’s already done?

“♫♪ Grant us wisdom, grant us courage ♫♪”.
We read in 1 Corinthians, “But of him are you in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption” and we read in 1 Timothy, “For God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” Are we praying that God would give us wisdom and courage when He’s says He’s given us wisdom and all the rest of the benefits those verses list?

To ask for something God has already given seems ignorant or unthankful. But there is another answer. Here the song has us affirming that we value what God has given to be received, enjoyed and employed by us and that our sphere of influence in His service would grow. If anything, it is a prayer that WE would get moving more on His instructions — that we would get better at living for the Lord as He instructs us. By so doing, we will see the benefits attached to living and moving to advance God’s will on Earth as it is done in Heaven.

“♫♪ Let the gift of Your salvation be our glory evermore ♫♪”
This gift we receive with thanksgiving, this gift we affirm with our brothers and sisters in Christ and this Giver and the availability of His gift we declare to a thirsty world.

Amen?

God bless you lots,
— Dale R.

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Download this song sheet free from “The Music Box”

LYRICS: God of Grace and God of Glory
Text: Harry Emerson Fosdick (1930)
Tune: John Hughes (1907)

1 God of grace and God of glory,
On Your people pour Your pow’r;
Crown Your ancient Church’s story,
Bring its bud to glorious flow’r.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage
For the facing of this hour,
For the facing of this hour.

2 Lo, the hosts of evil round us
Scorn our Savior and his ways.
From the fears that long have bound us
Free our hearts to faith and praise.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage
For the living of these days,
For the living of these days.

3 Cure Your children’s warring madness;
Bend our pride to Your control;
Shame our wanton selfishness,
Rich in things and poor in soul.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage
Lest we miss Your kingdom’s goal,
Lest we miss Your kingdom’s goal.

4 Save us from weak resignation
To the evils we deplore;
Let the gift of Your salvation
Be our glory evermore.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage
Serving You whom we adore,
Serving You whom we adore.

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