Scripture

Hebrews 4:16 CEB

Finally, let’s draw near to the throne of favor with confidence so that we can receive mercy and find grace when we need help.

Consider

When someone has wronged us, God stands ready to help us deal with our injury in righteous ways. Rather than approach God’s throne, however, we may be inclined to run the other way, away from God and the help we need.

Why do we do that?

Perhaps we want to hold onto our anger and righteous indignation a little longer, before God “makes” us forgive. For the time being, the world’s ways may seem more appealing—we like complaining about our offender’s faults and getting sympathy from others. Being a victim gives us an excuse to indulge in selfish behaviors. Or perhaps we don’t want to bother God with our little problem, with a conflict so petty we’re ashamed to have been hurt by it.

Our passage tells us that our help lies not in running away from God but in approaching God’s throne. Moreover, we approach with confidence because waiting there to stand beside us is our Savior and high priest, Jesus Christ. The Creator of our flesh was born into flesh, so he knows what it’s like to be human. Jesus sympathizes with our weakness because he was tempted in every way that we are. He, too, wanted to run away from the Father and the looming certainty of his painful and humiliating death. Yet he stood firm, the only human to unfailingly obey the Father’s will in every circumstance of his earthly life.

Then there is the Holy Spirit, who knows us intimately from the inside out and communes with the Father on our behalf. When we approach God’s throne, the Spirit gives voice to our feelings and thoughts and needs that we cannot express for ourselves.

Ultimately, whenever we go into prayer, we are surrounded and permeated by the loving attention of the Triune God—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. So when God calls us to obedience, we need not run away. Instead, we can approach the throne openly with our stubborn desires, our fears, and our needs, confident that we will be understood and helped beyond our own strength and will.

Pray

O God, my God, many times I have run away from you because I was ashamed of my weakness or foolishly clinging to my right to complain. Teach me the valuable truth that your call for my obedience is also a call to receive your mercy and grace. Thank you for the Son who stands with me and for the Spirit who speaks the words I know not how to say.

Reflect

Psalm 46:1; Hebrews 4:14-15

Ponder

What keeps me from seeking God’s help in relationship conflicts?