07
Drawing Near for Mercy and Grace
John DangananLet us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. - Hebrews 4:16
The manner with which to approach God’s throne is with confidence. First of all God’s throne is a throne of grace. It almost doesn’t make sense until one understands that we have a great high priest who once-and-for-all made the eternal sacrifice to appease God’s wrath. Our confidence is that Jesus our high priest also sympathizes with our weakness. When I approach Jesus in prayer I can be confident knowing full well that he understands the full spectrum of the human experience of betrayal, anger, temptation, hunger, loss, joy and grief. The purpose of drawing near to God is to receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. You would think the objective to approaching God with confidence is to boast (cf. priest in Luke 18) but yet is to receive mercy and grace.
Approach my prayer with the posture of confidence in Jesus my sympathetic great high priest and with the objective of receiving mercy and grace. My confidence is not in myself or my self-righteousness but in the righteousness of Christ. The righteousness of Jesus covers the vast multitude of my sins and even though my sin is scarlet yet he has made me as white as snow. Confidence is not hubris or arrogance but it is fully understanding that Jesus sympathizes with my failure and weakness yet receives me by his grace anyway. I don’t have to worry or doubt if Christ can understand what I feel but I can be confident that because he is fully human while being fully God he empathizes with me. I come to God’s presence in prayer to receive unconditional mercy and undeserved grace.
