Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 04:16, NKJV).
Access to power is a valuable thing, no matter what anybody says or would like to believe.
Power in the human arena takes the form of authority. A president has more power than a governor, a police officer has more power than an unarmed citizen, an adult has more power than a child, and an unborn child has the least power of all.
In ancient Judaism, and all subsequent Monotheistic religions, the most powerful Being conceived of is God, and access to the Throne of the Almighty was the ultimate goal of religious practice and belief. His power was sought against enemies and for personal prosperity, for health and safety, for happiness and satisfaction. And when things went badly, God's intervention was sought to make things right.
In Judaism, access to God prior to Christ was entirely conditional. A penitent could not approach Him without strict adherence to Jewish law, and only after propitiatory animal sacrifices had been made. The one place where God had decreed He would meet His people face-to-face, the Mercy Seat in the Holy of Holies of the Tabernacle, and later in the Temple, had very restricted access. It was only the High Priest, once yearly, who could enter in, and then only after the requisite shedding of sufficient innocent animal blood.
With faith in Christ, the separation has been broken down completely. There are no more restrictions and the only prerequisite is faith in Christ's once-for-all sacrifice. His death provides the perfect means to continually draw near to God.
But please note something else, something entirely unexpected. While God is sovereign and has all authority, His throne is referred to here as the throne of grace. It is, and could rightly be, called by other names: the throne of power, the judgment seat, the throne of life, the throne of light, and the throne of justice. Yet here, the emphasis is on it being the seat of grace.
This cannot be fully appreciated until we understand what grace really is, and how and why God is the only true source of it.
First, a technical definition. Grace is unmerited favor; undeserved reward; the receiving of good things that one does not deserve. It is the opposite of mercy, which is not receiving deserved punishment. One way to think of this is the acronym God's Riches At Christ's Expense, which is precisely the basis upon which grace is bestowed. Without Jesus going to the cross on our behalf, this kind of grace and mercy would have been impossible. In it's place would have been only judgment.
But in the life of a Christian walking closely with His Lord, grace is best viewed more personally.
Grace is God bestowing upon you loving children despite having looked upon them as parasites or inconveniences, or even as disposable, in the past.
Grace is God blessing you with health and well-being despite having a past rife with alcohol or other substance abuse.
Grace is God giving your life purpose and meaning in Him regardless of your having lived in the past only for yourself.
Grace is God providing you with the certain knowledge that this world is not your home, nor is this life all there is.
Grace is God showering you with joy and assurance that you are Christ's and no one can snatch you out of His hands, not even you.
Grace is God pouring out the love of the Holy Spirit in your heart so that you can love those of the faith with more depth and abundance than unbelieving members of your own flesh and blood family.
Grace is God having that love returned by your brothers and sisters in Christ.
Grace is God gifting you with the sure knowledge that you are never alone, and that He is always with you.
Grace is God showing you the immensity of His love toward you in that He gave His only Son to the cross on your behalf.
And now we are told, that His very throne is the origin and fountain of grace, and that we can come boldly to it, as a beloved little child goes without hesitation into the presence of a loving father.
And we can go there to find three of the very things we need each moment of this travail-filled earthly existence: mercy, grace and help.
This is why we worship Him. This is why we love Him.
The all-powerful ruler of all existence has thrown open the gates of His court and has invited us in freely, and without appointment. Not just to be in His magnificent Presence, which would be astounding enough, but also to go and obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
As a believer, if this does not make your heart soar with gratitude, love and endless joy, you are not paying attention.
