Approaching the Throne of Grace

A friend called me recently to tell me about a Bible study he’s been attending. The topic is the gift of the Holy Spirit. Yet, as he described it, much of the group’s focus and conversation seemed to center on the hard things in life: difficult circumstances, daily struggles, and the weight of living in a fallen world.

Now, I want to be clear. Sharing our burdens with one another is not only permitted, it’s commanded. Scripture tells us to “bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2 (opens BibleGateway in a new tab)). Honesty and vulnerability are essential to genuine Christian community. Pretending everything is fine when it isn’t helps no one.

But I wonder if sometimes we spend so much time talking about our struggles that we forget to talk about the One who has promised to sustain us through them.

Think about it. Here is a group of believers studying one of the most extraordinary gifts God has given us: His very presence dwelling within us through the Holy Spirit. Yet the conversation keeps returning to the difficulties of life.

I suspect we’re all guilty of this from time to time. We become so focused on what’s happening around us that we lose sight of what’s been made available to us.

Hebrews 4:16 (opens BibleGateway in a new tab) offers a wonderful reminder: “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

Notice that the writer doesn’t tell us to ignore our struggles. He tells us where to take them.

Our Great High Priest

To appreciate this invitation in Hebrews 4:16 (opens BibleGateway in a new tab), we need to understand something about the Old Testament sacrificial system.

Under the Old Covenant, the high priest served as a mediator between God and His people. Once a year, on the Day of Atonement, he entered the Most Holy Place to make atonement for sin.

The entire sacrificial system was a vivid reminder of the seriousness of sin. Animals were sacrificed. Blood was shed. The sights and smells made one truth unavoidable: sin is a serious problem, and its consequence is death.

But those sacrifices were never intended to be the final solution. They pointed forward to something greater.

Jesus, our Great High Priest, did not merely offer a sacrifice. He became the sacrifice. Once for all.

As Hebrews 9 and 10 explain, Jesus entered the true heavenly sanctuary, not with the blood of bulls and goats, but through His own blood. The penalty for sin was still death, but Christ bore that penalty for us. The seriousness of sin is on full display at the cross, but so is the extraordinary grace of God.

And unlike the sacrifices that had to be offered repeatedly, Jesus’ sacrifice was sufficient. The work is finished.

Because of that finished work, something remarkable has happened. Through faith in Christ, we have been reconciled to God. We are no longer condemned by our sin or defined by our struggles. We have been made alive in Christ, given the Holy Spirit, and promised an eternity in His presence, free from sin and death.

But here’s what I don’t want us to miss: We don’t have to wait until eternity to enjoy a relationship with God. We have access to Him right now.

The writer of Hebrews reminds us why: “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15 (opens BibleGateway in a new tab)).

Our Great High Priest understands our struggles. And because of His finished work, we can approach God’s throne with confidence, knowing we will find mercy and grace in our time of need.

Yes… But a Bigger Yes

By all means, tell the truth about how hard life can be. Name the grief, the temptation, the weariness, and the unanswered questions. Don’t pretend the fallen world isn’t fallen. But don’t stop there.

Yes, sin is real. The cross proves it. Yes, life is hard. Even Jesus wept. Yes, we will experience pain, disappointment, and seasons when we simply don’t understand what God is doing.

But God’s grace gives us a bigger “Yes.”

Yes, we have a Savior who understands our weaknesses.

Yes, we have a High Priest who has made a way for us to approach God.

Yes, we have the Holy Spirit dwelling within us.

And yes, we have been invited to come before the throne of God with confidence, knowing that we will find mercy and grace to help in our time of need.

And this brings us back to where we started.

When Scripture tells us to bear one another’s burdens, that certainly means listening, loving, praying, and walking alongside one another through difficult times. But I believe it also means reminding one another of the extraordinary promises of God.

Sometimes the most loving thing we can do for a struggling brother or sister is to gently lift their eyes from the weight of their circumstances to the greatness of their Savior. Not to minimize their pain, but to remind them that their pain doesn’t have the final word.

Throughout this month, we’ve explored the extraordinary gift of God’s grace from several different perspectives.

• Week 1: Grace saved us when we were dead in our sins.
• Week 2: Grace teaches us to turn from sin and walk in newness of life.
• Week 3: Grace opens our eyes to recognize God’s goodness in the blessings we so often take for granted.

And grace continues to invite us, every day and in every circumstance, to draw near to God with confidence.

So, the next time life becomes overwhelming, share your burdens. Ask for prayer. Be honest about your struggles. And when someone shares their burdens with you, listen, love, and walk alongside them.

But don’t stop there.

Remind one another who our Great High Priest is, what He has accomplished on our behalf, and what He has made available to us.

Then, together, approach the throne of grace with confidence.