The throne of grace to receive mercy and help in time of need!

“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. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” Hebrews 4:16.

Our today’s Bible insights remind us we have a great and perfect high priest in heaven in the presence of God. I do not know about you. This unique awareness gives me confidence and strength every day when I live in this world. Why? This great and perfect High priest has no comparison to mere human high priests of the olden times. Human high priests are not only human, and they were also sinners like all other people. They had to offer sacrifices for their sins first before they offered sacrifices for other people. They all died like other people. They did not live forever to help people with their high priestly services. You see, due to human limitations, they could perform only limited functions. Their sympathies and empathies were not enough for us.

The incarnation of Jesus Christ made all the difference for us. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who was with God and who was God, from the very beginning, became a human being for our rescue and salvation. Jesus Christ is the perfect High Priest we all needed and wished for. He was not only the ideal high priest but was also the perfect sacrifice for all of our sins and problems. Besides, He became a sympathetic high priest because in His incarnation He understood all our needs, worries because He became one among us. He felt the severity of our temptations to do sin. He tasted the weaknesses, needs, and limitations we face during the time of His incarnation. Our passage says because of this; He can sympathize and empathize with our daily temptations, needs, and weaknesses because He faced all these when He lived on this earth. As a man, He had needs, weaknesses and faced with temptations, not even one time He did any sin.

Jesus Christ in His incarnation was one hundred percent God and one hundred percent man. We can see both divine and human natures side by side with Him if we carefully read the Gospel accounts about Christ. In other words, He was tempted precisely like we all are, but he never gave in to temptations to do sin. Therefore, our passage encourages us to approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” Why? Not only He had the first-hand experience of all our issues, problems, and temptations while He was on earth, but also Jesus Christ, the Son of God, had passed through the heavens. This alludes to his ascension to heaven from the Mount of Olives after 40 days of His resurrection from the dead. He was taken up right before the eyes of the disciples, and a cloud hid him from their sight. He went up and up, and clouds hid Him. (Acts 1:9-11). He went back to heaven. And now He is the presence of God in heaven as a perfect and great High Priest for us. “Just consider how great He was?” (Hebrews 7:4)

Beloved, are you tempted to do sin? Join the group of humanity, right? Yes, we all are tempted to do sin. However, our verse says we are not helpless. There is help available because we have a great high priest in heaven who was tempted like we are, yet did not sin. He is our High Priest in the presence of the Holy God and because He is sympathetic and empathetic to offer His help and we have the full confidence to go to him in prayer for mercy and grace, because He knew it all and tasted it all, yet did not sin.

Dearly beloved, we can take our sins to this great High Priest, to the throne of Grace, in prayer. He will give His mercy and grace to help us. He will forgive and make you a brand new person by the supernatural work of God. We can take your weaknesses to Him in prayer. Of course, we all are weak in so many ways, aren’t we? We have needs and limitations, haven’t we? Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Got a moment for today’s prayer? “Father in heaven, I know Jesus Christ is the great and perfect high priest in heaven for me. I believe He came to this earth, died and rose again for all of my sins. Lord I take all my sins to you. I am sorry I  have sinned. Please help me not to sin against you in the future. I bring all my problems and issues to you. Please have mercy on me and help me. In Jesus Christ’s name, I pray. Amen.”