Come Boldly!

(Guest post by Michelle Hobbs)

“Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”    Hebrews 4:16

I wonder if we truly understand what a privilege it is for us to pray directly to God; and beyond that, have a promise that we will find mercy and grace in our time of need. I know I take it completely for granted most of the time.

You see, in Old Testament times, before Jesus died on the cross for us and rose again, the common man was not allowed to enter the presence of God. Ordinary folks, like you and me, were not allowed to go beyond the outer courts of the Tabernacle or Temple. Priests could enter the Inner Courts, but only the High Priest could enter the Holy of Holies, where the Spirit of God dwelt, once a year. And he entered with such fear of the glory of God that he prepared for days in advance, and he tied a rope around his ankle before entering so that his friends could pull him out should he be struck dead by God’s holy power!

“But only the high priest entered the inner room, and that only once a year, and never without blood, which he offered for himself and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance.”   Hebrews 9:7

But the work of Jesus has granted the likes of you and me direct access to God anytime we want! In fact, He tells us to “come boldly” to Him. “Boldly” means: with full confidence, unembarrassed, speaking everything. The LORD is telling us to come and pour out our whole heart to Him.

Think about this. Jesus, while here on earth as a man, was tempted in every way that you and I are.

“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.”   Hebrews 4:15

This gives us assurance that He understands exactly what we are going through, no matter what it is. He has perfect knowledge of the distress we are facing and of the help that is required. He wants you to bring every need to Him.

Charles Spurgeon says, “True prayer is an approach of the soul by the Spirit of God to the throne of God.”

Our scripture tells us that we can come before the throne of grace. When I think of a throne, I think of a seat of supreme authority, a seat of judgement. That’s a little scary! While God is the ultimate authority and judge of our lives, He says to His children, come boldly unto the throne of “grace”.

Grace is the undeserved favor and love that God extends to those who are saved through Jesus. Grace is a love that has its own motive; a love that is given regardless of our worthiness, but is built wholly upon the work of Christ. All we have to do is accept it.

The only requirement for you to be able to step right into the throne room of God is that you must accept Jesus’ great sacrifice for you. You must ask Jesus to be Lord of your life. Your faith in His love and sacrifice for you is the means by which you can approach the throne of God, the throne of grace. Have you done that? If not, why not do it now?