Grace is The Whole Story for Us

"Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast." (Psalm 57: 1)

The better translation reads:

"Be gracious to me, O God, be gracious to me."

Grant me favor.

Do not read this verse from the perspective of "I trust you, therefore He is gracious to me."

Grace is unearned, unmerited, undeserved favor.

We trust Him because He is gracious to us.

Where is the proof of this? In the Cross:

"31What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? 32He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?" (Romans 8: 31-32)

He did not hold back His Son, and we can then trust that He is freely giving us all things with Him, too.

God granted us His favor before we could say anything, let alone refuse:

"For thou, LORD, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield." (Psalm 5: 12)

and also

"For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour." (Psalm 8: 5)

We are defined by His grace:

"Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) (Ephesians 2: 5)

and also

"But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. (1 Corinthians 15: 10)

and also

"11For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, 12Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; 13Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; 14Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works." (Titus 2: 11-14)

Grace is the whole story for us, because grace and truth together are found in Christ (John 1: 17), who is the head of all creation (Ephesians 1: 10) and redemption (Colossians 1: 14).