Do We ask of God Based on Our Goodness or His?
Do we have to reach a level of goodness before we can ask for God’s help? I think believing this can sometimes hinder our prayers. We learned as children that if we were good, we were more likely to receive treats or rewards from our parents. We might even have pointed to our goodness as a reason to get what we want. “Could I have another cookie? I’ve been good today?” “I hope I get that special red truck for Christmas. I’ve been good this year.”
There is nothing wrong with teaching kids that goodness often brings natural rewards. But in our relationship with God, we must guard against thinking that He will only help us if we’ve been good. I was struck by this from Psalm 69. In a particularly “demanding” portion of the Psalm, David makes 11 requests!
“Answer me; rescue me; do not let me sink; deliver me; do not let the floodwaters engulf me; answer me; do not hide your face; answer me quickly; come near, rescue me, redeem me.” (Psalm 69:13-18) David is not that diplomatic because he is desperate. He starts the Psalm by saying “Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck.” If someone came to me and started placing multiple demands on me, the person’s goodness or “worthiness” in my eyes would probably influence how many demands I would tolerate.
Yet God tolerates all of David’s demands. In fact, He does more than tolerate. David makes these demanding appeals based on God’s goodness and not his own. Psalm 69:16 – “Answer me, O Lord, out of the goodness of your love!” or “Answer me Lord, for your steadfast love is good!” Suddenly, the request is not based on our goodness but on God’s. God has this deep reservoir of goodness and help. He waits to pour it out on those who ask.
Of course, He won’t pour out His goodness for sinful requests or that which goes against His will. “God, please help me in this sale where I’m deceiving the buyer of some critical facts.” “God please help me find true love with someone other than my spouse.” “If we cherish sin in our hearts, the Lord will not listen.” (Psalm 66:18)
But we do need to get beyond this idea that God has a checklist that we must meet before He will pour out His goodness and love. God loves with a steadfast love. It is not based on our performance but on His commitment to love. He never breaks His commitments. This is part of the massive grace of God. And it is very humbling. We feel good when we’ve done good. We like to justify ourselves. But when we have nothing and need help, praise God that He doesn’t demand payment for His goodness! We live every day by that grace.
“God, thank you for your steadfast love and goodness. Forgive us when we think we’ve done so much good that you owe us. We can never pay our debt to you and we don’t have to because of Christ. Help us to live in the joy of that grace today. Help us to ask out of our poverty and helplessness.”