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Today I boldly walked into an office at my school to speak with three Administrators. I wanted to tell them how I had solved a problem which had made less work for them. They were all so pleased with my solution.
On other days, I have walked into their offices asking for their help or for them to craft a solution to a problem. Today, though, I had the solution which felt pretty good.
Fast forward to arriving home. I opened my new “Come to Me” journal by Renee Swope and read a Scripture found in Hebrews.
Hebrews 4:16 Therefore let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and find grace whenever we need help.
Another version says it like this:
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We are to come boldly to God when we have a need. I pray and often bring my requests to God. At times, though, I have in mind how I think that God should solve my problem. I know that praying for God’s will to be accomplished aligns my heart with His, but I am realizing today that He doesn’t desire my suggestions or my solution.
He desires my situation.
When I bring Him my brokenness and my aggravation, I will RECEIVE His mercy and FIND His grace.
Jesus now sits at the right hand of God and serves as our high priest who has made atonement for our sins through his death, burial and resurrection. I know that I can approach Him anytime and anywhere, but somehow, I imagined how silly it would be for me to head into the throne room of God while praying with my solution to a problem which I would present to Him. Sure, I believe that God has given us our dispositions and personalities where our strengths exist meaning that He gives us the capacity to create solutions.
When I have a need, though, I don’t have to already know the answer or the solution.
I am comforted that I can go to God with just my thoughts without a solution. He doesn’t need my solution. He expects me to bring my situation to Him.
When I bring my situations to Jesus, I can trust that He will help me with my problem in my time of need. I have often rejoiced in the help that God gives, however, today, I discovered as I read Hebrews 4:16, that He will provide two things, mercy and grace, IN my time of need. Honestly, my “time of need” is every moment, but I can see that there are times when I have to call out and tell Him that I need an answer and need a solution when I pray. I can trust Him to work out a solution for me. What I realized today is that I will receive mercy and grace as my solution to help in my time of need.
Steven J. Cole, a pastor in Arizona, wrote a commentary that further refined my understanding of what it means to find help:
“We will receive mercy and find grace to help. “Help” is a technical nautical term that is used elsewhere only in Acts 27:17 to describe the cables that the sailors wrapped around the hull of Paul’s ship during the storm so that it would not break apart. We encountered the verb in Hebrews 2:18, where it has the nuance of running to the aid of someone crying for help. When your life seems to be coming apart at the seams because of the storm, cry out to our sympathetic high priest at the throne of grace. You will receive mercy and find grace to help.”
Citation: https://bible.org/seriespage/lesson-14-throne-grace-hebrews-414-16
So God runs to help me as I confidently and boldly approach Him and tell Him my situation. He brings mercy which is his undeserved forgiveness and tenderness toward me while also providing grace which is His undeserved favor. Forgiveness and Favor. Thank you Jesus for working it all out.
