Prayer is often conceived of and practiced as a work of man rather than a work of grace in the heart of man. God has created the human mind to think in terms of causation, which is insight into reality and enables man to trace all things to the Divine cause, but since the Fall we are inclined to look at human causation and not see the Divine. So when we see in history that men have prayed before God acts we think that God responded to prayer. But the heart that is truly praying does not correspond to spontaneous combustion in the natural realm as if a truly praying heart came from no cause, but instead it has a Divine cause. The heart that is broken from self and is truly praying is also not the work of the self as that would be just another level of praying from self-centeredness. True prayer is the fruit of the Spirit because there can be no true prayer apart from the love of God and there is no love but that which is from God. There is nothing good in the physical or spiritual realm that does not ultimately come from the working of God as the First Cause. All spiritual good that comes to human beings only come on the basis of grace.
Even those who are Reformed and think of the word “grace” a lot tend to make the means of grace into a work. We think of prayer as a means of grace and so we “pray” to receive grace. But if think of it just a little more, we will see that if we pray as a means of grace thinking that God will give grace if we pray, then we turn prayer into a work. God does not give grace because of works. It is true that prayer is a means of grace, but it is still grace. God is under no obligation to dispense grace just because a human being is doing a “means of grace.” God does give grace through prayer, but just because it is a means of grace does mean it automatically brings grace. By no means is this true. Instead we must “use” the means of grace to seek grace itself and as if it comes totally without cause on account of the works or merits of men. True prayer is when sinful men come to God in order to be made broken and humble instruments of grace. The grace of God will make its instruments of grace before it bestows grace. Grace is always given to the praise of His glory and men who think that they can dispense grace to themselves by using the means of grace are trying to obtain grace for selfish purposes and don’t understand biblical grace at all.
Prayer must always be going to the throne of grace to receive grace. We must never think of prayer as anything else. It is not what God responds to because we do it, but God responds to prayers for grace when He has broken and humbled the heart to receive grace. By definition it is pride to think that I can do anything to cause God to respond to me that is not of His own work in the soul. That would be a sinful human being having the power to manipulate God and put the grace of God in the hands of men to dispense it. How we want to dispense grace to ourselves as we please, and so we use the means of grace to get grace for ourselves. Oh how the proud human heart will trick itself into thinking that it can obtain grace because of its own efforts and not seeing how despicable it is in doing so. Our proud prayers, though perhaps orthodox, are opposed by God because the Scriptures tell us with a great deal of clarity that God opposes the proud and gives grace to the humble (James 4:6; I Peter 5:5).
When we pray in solitary or in groups for revival what we must know that revival only comes as grace. Revival is not something that God responds to men when they work hard for it, but it is the pouring out of God’s grace in pouring out Himself into human souls. God never gives Himself on the basis of works, but only by grace. Revival must be sought with broken hearts that truly desire God’s glory shining in Christ. Revival must be sought as grace because true revival is grace. God will only bring revival when He has worked His desire for His glory in His people. His desire in revival is to manifest the beauty of the glory of His grace. Do we desire revival in our hearts for His glory alone? Can we desire the God’s grace and expect it to come to us because we have performed certain actions? Oh no, that is to want something from God because of what we do and that is something other than grace.
What a great need there is for the soul to be humbled before it prays and to ask for humility while it prays. There is no true prayer apart from humility because God will not give grace to the proud.
Hebrews 4:16 – “Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
God Loves... Himself 
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