Verse for the week of October 11th:
Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:16)
This verse confirms to us that we are able to approach God at all times. The verses just prior to verse 16 talk about Jesus as the High Priest. The High Priest is the top priest at the temple in Jerusalem who was the one responsible for making the sacrifice upon the mercy seat which was located in the Holy of the Holies within the temple. This sacrifice was made once a year on Yom Kipper (the Day of Atonement) to atone for the sins of the entire nation of Israel.
Jesus as our High Priest is not only the one who makes the sacrifice, but now is the one who becomes the sacrifice. Jesus as the High Priest is the one who gave his life so that there would not need to be ongoing sacrifices at the temple but rather Jesus sacrifice is sufficient for all time—a one time act that continues to have benefits even to this day.
Because of Jesus’ self-sacrificing act, we are washed of our sins and made new. Because of Jesus’ washing of us, we are now free to approach the throne of grace with boldness. We need not be afraid of God—as was the case for the Jews at the time of Jesus. The notion was that God’s holiness was so overwhelming that to be in the direct presence of God was too much for people to bear. After all, only the High Priest was the one to enter the Holy of Holies which was where the Jews knew the presence of God was at. And no one else was allowed in for fear of dying simply by being overwhelmed by the presence of God. But because Jesus humbles himself to become a human being, now we need not fear the presence of God. Rather we can with boldness approach this throne of grace to come before Jesus in time of need.
And when we do approach Jesus in times of need, Jesus’ self-sacrificing love communicates to us a message of love, forgiveness and mercy rather then guilt, punishment and condemnation. If you read a lot of the Old Testament, you can come away with the notion of God as a punishing God. The author of the letter to the Hebrews is making a strong case for people to see God in a different light. That because of Jesus and his life, we now live under grace and forgiveness and not law and punishment. This enables us to be free and without trepidation to come before God during the dark and difficult days to seek help.
Do you find it difficult to turn to God during times of trouble?
When I was in school, I dealt with stress on my own which, consequently, weighed on me mentally and physically. As my stress level increased, I would become tired easily, my diet was poor, and I wouldn’t want to be around my friends. Over the past year, I’ve become more involved with church, and my relationship with God has strengthened. One of the biggest changes I’ve noticed is how I deal with stress. When I take my problems and worries to Him, I feel the weight being lifted off my shoulders, and I remember that I’ve already been provided with all I need to get through tough times. Because I no longer deal with negative stress on my own, I’m happier, healthier, and have a more positive outlook on life.