Grace to Help

UV 970/10,000 Grace to Help Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hebrews 4 v 16 The Lord sits on His mercy seat of pure gold, surrounded by cherubim and seraphim. The use of pure gold is a symbol of His absolute purity and the great value we should attach to the mercy of the Lord. Though He sits on high in His great majesty, He is accessible to each of us. He is always only a prayer away. He is mingled in our thoughts and emotions. His throne of grace is established not just in heaven but in each of our hearts and in each of our homes. Our “knee mail” or our prayer for both mercy and grace should reach Him every day, every morning and every hour. A fine believer I know saw a vision of the Lord God seated on His throne. Outside His throne hall were a throng of rulers, kings, presidents, rulers and authorities who were bowing in fear and trembling from afar before the throne of God. Then he saw a child running to the very throne of God and climbing on His lap, unmindful of all the great people who were trembling outside. We need to approach the Lord with such child-like innocence, boldness and confidence, knowing that the Lord will not chide or reprimand us for coming so close to Him. His mercy washes us clean and white as snow. When we are so washed, our lives will be full of peace. The power of sin is broken. Only those who know they are truly forgiven can truly forgive. When we know that we are truly forgiven, we can start life again with a clean slate. Jesus freely and truly forgave even those who cruelly nailed Him to the cross. He freely and truly forgave those who falsely accused Him and shouted that He be crucified. How much more has He forgiven each of us as we confessed our sins. The guilt and fear of punishment is gone. This gives us boldness and confidence in our personal relationship with the Lord. Once the Lord has granted us His mercy and peace, He then gives us grace to help us in our need. Each of us have a different type of need at different times in our lives. Each day brings its own trouble and He will give us grace to overcome every temptation and every pressure. His grace is sufficient to meet our every need fully. We need to stick to Him like a leech and absorb the grace we need. We need to lean on Him like a ladder that is fixed on a tall wall. We need to hide in Him as a child hides in the folds of His parents’ clothes. He gives us grace to bear our burdens and responsibilities in life. He gives us grace to fulfil His mandate or purpose for our lives. He gives us grace to use our time, talent and treasure for His greater glory. He gives us grace to overcome our inner weaknesses and to bear any thorn in the flesh that the Lord has given us as He gave St Paul. We have opted out of the rat race to join the race of grace, the race to win the prize that Jesus has called us to receive- the crown of eternal life. Grace is the one word used for the myriad ways in which the Ebenezer God helps us. Prateep V Philip