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).
From this passage of Scripture, we see that we should approach God's throne of grace with confidence in order to receive mercy and find grace in our times of need.
While this passage is beautifully written, it can be hard to understand and possibly harder to apply. It is a beautiful thing to know that we can come to the throne of God, but it can be difficult to understand what this fully means and why we need to come boldly to His throne.
The Throne of Grace
The entire Book of Hebrews is filled with intensive information, and Hebrews 4:16 is no exception. From this verse, we learn that we are to approach God's throne of mercy boldly. Why are we told to do this? The answer is found in the surrounding context.
Hebrews 4:14-15 tells us, "Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 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."
By reading these two former verses, we can understand why we are to come boldly before the throne of grace. We are to come boldly before the throne of grace because Jesus is our great high priest, who understands our weaknesses and is able to show us mercy.
Jesus is not a far-off God, who never cares about His creation. Rather, Jesus is God in the flesh who came to the earth to die for our sins and give us salvation. He is able to understand each feeling of weakness and the pain of temptation.
The Lord was tempted in every way, yet He did not sin. As human beings, we are tempted in many ways; however, it is hard for us not to fall into temptation.
Since the Lord is our high priest and understands what it is like to be tempted and knows the weaknesses we face, He is able to show mercy to us. This is why we are to approach the throne of grace boldly. We don't need to be afraid or coward away from the Lord.
He knows the pain we are experiencing, and He understands that we fall short. He is able to empathize with us and show us grace because of His very nature.
The Lord loves us and cares about us greatly. We are the gemstone of His creation, and there is nothing that can snatch us out of His hand.
Coming Boldly Before the Lord
Standing before the Lord can sound like a scary thing. After all, He is the judge of our souls. However, as this passage from Hebrews tells us, we can go boldly to stand at His throne of grace.
We can do this because He understands what we are feeling, as well as He understands the weaknesses that we have.
In Old Testament times, the high priest often couldn't relate to individuals, nor did he show them much empathy. Jesus is not like this as He shows unlimited mercy, empathy, and forgiveness.
In addition to this, Jesus is superior as the high priest because He doesn't have to continue to offer sacrifices each year.
Rather, He died once and for all in order to provide lasting forgiveness to all mankind if they place faith in Him.
Once we place faith in Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection, we are given salvation. With this salvation, we are given forgiveness of sins, eternal life, and a new start in Christ.
Since all of this is true, we know we can boldly stand before the Lord. We don't have to be afraid because all of our sins have been forgiven.
To stand in front of the throne of mercy doesn't have to keep us up at night because there is nothing for us to fear.
We can go to the Lord in prayer and pour our hearts out to Him. Whether you are in need of help, advice, or support, know that you can always go boldly to the throne of grace.
Approaching the Lord
You can come boldly to the throne of grace today. You don't have to travel to a certain place. Instead, you can go from the safety of your living room, the drive home, or a walk in the park.
Coming before the throne of the Lord means going to Him in prayer. Each time you go to Him in prayer, you can boldly ask Him what you need. When you are asking Him for what you need, don't forget to praise Him and thank Him for all that He does.
Sadly, there are many of us who only go to God for requests, and we neglect the importance of praising Him. As you boldly go to stand before the Lord, give Him thanks and praise Him.
Maybe it was a difficult day, and you don't feel anything went well, but you can still thank Him for His wonderful gift of salvation. There is always something to be thankful to the Lord for.
There are many things that cause us guilt and doubt. We start to wonder if we are "good enough" or if we did something "so bad" that the Lord would never forgive us.
These thoughts cause us to think that we could never stand before the Lord. If this is true for you today, know that you are never too far from the Lord. There is not a worse sin that could break your relationship with the Lord for all eternity.
Even if you have sinned and done something wrong, which we all do on a daily basis, we can still approach the throne of grace because Jesus is full of empathy and mercy.
There is nothing to be afraid of because forgiveness is found in Christ. Shame causes us to try to hide away from God, but He wants us to come to Him.
No matter what we do, God still wants us to return to Him. We often feel as though we have passed the point of no return, yet God never thinks in this way. He is full of mercy and forgiveness.
As you come before the throne of mercy today, pour your heart out to God and be bold. He doesn't want you to shy away. The Lord wants you to be real with Him and to boldly stand before Him.
What Does This Mean?
There is no reason to be afraid because the Lord will forgive you, and He will extend endless mercy. Take a deep breath and talk with Him today. We are to go before the throne of grace boldly because we have been shown mercy, and there is nothing to fear.
Many people try to make us afraid of coming before the Lord, but if we know Him as our Savior, there is nothing to be afraid of. Jesus isn't going to condemn you for your sins.
People love to condemn us, yet Jesus doesn't work this way. He offers unlimited forgiveness and mercy. Go to Him today and stand boldly before Him because you know He loves you.
For further reading:
What Does 'Come Boldly Before the Throne of Grace' Mean?
What Is the Throne of God and Does it Really Exist?
What Does the Bible Say about Hard Times?
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