It is not by our works, but our relationship through Jesus that makes us worthy to pray and present our petitions before the Lord. Galatians 2:16 says “know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law because by the works of the law no one will be justified.”

We are who the Lord says we are, not who the world or even we say. We are God’s creation, he delights over us. Zephaniah 3:17 says “The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.”

We are made in God’s image. Genesis 1:27 says “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” Not only are we created in the image of God, but our Heavenly Father assigns our calling or identity in his kingdom before we are born. God gifts us with specific abilities designed to bless his kingdom. We cannot reverse our calling, nor lose our abilities – they are gifts from God, forever programmed into our spiritual DNA. Romans 11:29 states “For God’s gifts and his call can never be withdrawn.” We can try to deny or suppress who God calls us to be, but that identity never leaves us. James 1:17 reminds us that “every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” 

We are worthy to pray and present our petitions to God because of Jesus. When God looks at us, he sees Jesus, in Matthew 3:17 God describes Jesus as “…beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” Hebrews 4:15-16 says “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”