Hebrews 4:16—”Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”
Hypothetically as a parent, how would you react when your young child comes toward you? The most natural thing would be to make some contact – arm on their shoulder, pat on back, or a tight squeeze perhaps? Now switch sides, you are the child in the same situation. Do you approach your parent in a shy, squirming, nervous, or dull way? Remember, you are approaching your most-loving person in the world. We, as children of God, must approach the throne of Grace as such!
Lord Jesus was tempted in every way, yet He did not sin. Jesus the Son of God, ascended into Heaven and is seated at the right hand of God. We have a High Priest both omnipotent and compassionate, so we can approach God’s Throne of grace with confidence to obtain mercy and to find grace.
Boldly does not mean proudly, arrogantly, or with presumption. ‘Boldly’ means that we may come constantly, without reservation, without fancy words, with confidence, and with persistence.
To ‘obtain mercy’ is to receive compassion in our weakness and trials. Jesus has perfect knowledge of the help we require, which assures us that we will get help in our time of need. When we approach God’s Throne of Grace, we obtain mercy (i.e. not get what we deserve) and find grace (i.e. get what we don’t deserve– undeserved favor and loving regard of God). Thankfully, our God always provides help in our time of need; God is good all the time! No request is too small, because God wants us to be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer . . . let our requests be made known to Him.
Satan’s central strategy is to discourage us from direct access, to consider Jesus as unapproachable. He encourages us to come to God by Mary, or by the saints. Sometimes, Satan wants us to think of Jesus as powerless to help, not as One on a throne in Heaven.
We can be bold to approach God because of the work of Jesus. We must always look to God for help; in His love, God will be kind to us. He knows how weak we are. God always pardons all our sins and makes us clean again. God gives us the strength that we need to help us in difficult times. Even when pardoned, we need God’s grace to keep us from sin, to aid us in duty, to preserve us in the day of temptation.
