While singing “He Looked Beyond My Fault and Saw My Need,” [1] God reminded me and caused me to realize that He looks beyond my faults and sees not only my needs but the needs of prodigals for whom I pray imperfect prayers—prayers that sometimes have the wrong intention or motivation or understanding and may even include imperfect and ill-founded suggestions as to how He can accomplish their salvation; prayers that sometimes are not long enough or often enough or are not prayed with complete faith—imperfect prayers. He sees beyond all my faults and all my incomplete human effort and sees the needs of myself and of those for whom I pray with His perfect mercy and love and grace, and He answers.

This realization overwhelmed me with gratitude and relief—relief that the answers to my prayers do not depend on my abilities, wisdom, remembering, knowledge, stamina, or strength to pray. Instead, those answers depend on God’s perfect love, mercy, grace, and compassion. He alone is perfect in feelings, effort, ability, and resources.

Thankfully, God didn’t tell us to pray perfect prayers. He just said to pray. If God was depending on us to pray perfect prayers, no one would ever be saved, but here we are, and here they come!

I am in awe of our merciful Lord!

---

[1] Words by Dottie Rambo set to “Londonderry Air,” composer unknown.