Receive Mercy, Find Grace
This is the third of 3 short posts about how to practically develop a rhythm of prayer!
thrones can be intimidating
When visiting an old palace in Europe recently, I stumbled upon the throne room. Entering inside, I got a sense of the importance that the royalty possessed, and how lofty their status was compared to my own. It was impressive in every sense, and I almost felt like I wasn’t worthy to be in such a place.
I imagine that back in the day, approaching the throne of a king or queen would be an intimidating moment. You probably felt like you had to justify being in their presence, or that you had something worth offering them.
but God is on a throne of grace
Sometimes we might feel intimidated to approach God’s throne. But listen to how it’s described here;
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 empathise 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. Hebrews 4:14-16
confidence through jesus
In Jesus—our great high priest who paid for our sins—we have someone who knows what it’s like to be weak, tempted, and human and yet never sinned. On the one hand he’s the King of kings, the ultimate royalty. But on the other hand, he’s experienced everything our daily lives entail. And that is profoundly good news. Why?
Because when we approach God’s throne, we know Jesus is next to him—ascended from earth to the right hand of the Father in heaven. And he understands and empathises with us, so our approach is not filled with intimidation but with the knowledge that we receive grace upon our arrival.
receive mercy and find grace
When we pray, we’re coming before God’s throne for a purpose; to ‘receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.’
Maybe you think that when you pray you’re only offering something to God—because entering into the presence of royalty can make us feel unworthy or like we need to justify our place before them. And it’s true that we offer our prayers to God to be heard.
But in Christ, we also receive mercy and find grace in our moments of need—because God’s throne is one of grace, not intimidation and unworthiness.
the confidence to approach
To get practical—the key phrase in Hebrews 4 is ‘with confidence’. That’s the posture that we approach God’s throne with. Let me urge you to confidently, boldly, and unashamedly come to God and ask that you might receive mercy and find grace—whatever your need is.
You’re asked to come to God confidently in prayer, and he will provide you with what you need. Don’t worry about the outcome, the words you utter, or if you’re worthy of speaking to him or not. Because in God’s grace, he gives to you even when you’re the one approaching him.
May you receive mercy and find grace today.
