Do We Deserve God’s Favor?

I lost my keys the other day. I looked everywhere I could imagine, and finally in desperation, I stopped and turned my heart to God and prayed, “God. You know where my keys are…” But before I could say more, the thought entered my mind, Why would he answer this prayer? I don’t deserve for Him to tell me where my keys are. And just as quickly, I thought, But God loves it when I turn to him, and He loves to show lovingkindnesses. It has nothing to do with whether I deserve it. So I went on with my prayer, “Please lead me to where the keys are. I trust in you, without any doubting. I know you are going to show me.” Before I knew it, I had the back door of my car open, looking on the floor of the back seat, and there they were. “Thank you Jesus.”

Why did my mind jump to the idea that I didn’t deserve for Him to show me where the keys were? I guess it was the remnants of the thinking that I have to earn His favor. I have to offer the sacrifice of good works first.

Jesus modeled and became a better way. In the middle of Psalm 40, David wrote prophetically about Christ, kind of addressing this whole idea. Psa 40:6-10  Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required.  (7)  Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me,  (8)  I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.  (9)  I have preached righteousness in the great congregation: lo, I have not refrained my lips, O LORD, thou knowest.  (10)  I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart; I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation: I have not concealed thy lovingkindness and thy truth from the great congregation.

In its entirety, Psalm 40 goes from David’s deliverance from desolation (1-5) to this prophetic part (6-10) to David praying for help and comfort (11-17).

We know that in this middle section, he is speaking of Christ, because Hebrews 10:5-12 repeats the idea with Christ as the subject. The conclusion in that passage is, By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. (Heb. 10:10) That’s where we get our right standing before God. Through Jesus, not through our deserving life, which really isn’t deserving.

Therefore, I can pray and appeal to His lovingkindness, that I know I don’t deserve, but He loves to show it. He first showed it to me by the death of Jesus on the cross for my sins. I’ve read Ps. 40:10 many times, considering how David didn’t hide God’s righteousness within his heart. He declared God’s faithfulness and salvation. He didn’t conceal God’s lovingkindness and truth from the great concregation (us). I know that, because David writes about God’s lovingkindness and truth all the time in the Psalms. But today is the first time I realize that this statement applies prophetically to Christ.  Read it again with Jesus in mind: I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation: I have not concealed thy lovingkindness and thy truth from the great congregation. That is simply awesome. For years, lovingkindness has been my favorite word in the Bible. It is what Christ and God are all about. We can appeal to God based on His lovingkindness, apart from our deservedness. My lost keys were a brilliant reminder.