Some people only want visitors after the house is clean. Unfortunately, we sometimes approach God the same way. We know something has not been right. Perhaps our prayer life has been inconsistent. We responded badly to someone. We ignored something God had been correcting. We feel spiritually weak, disappointed with ourselves or simply aware that we have not been at our best. Then, instead of running toward God, we begin spiritually rearranging the furniture.
Let me get myself together first. Let me pray properly for a few days. Let me become more spiritual again. Then I will come. But Hebrews gives us a completely different invitation:
“Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” — Hebrews 4:16 KJV
Notice where God invites us when we need mercy and help. Not away from Him. Toward the throne.
Do Not Miss The Word “Therefore”
Hebrews 4:16 does not begin with boldness. It begins with “therefore.” Something has already been established. The previous verses tell us:
“Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.” — Hebrews 4:14 KJV
Then:
“For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities…” — Hebrews 4:15 KJV
Only after introducing Jesus as our Great High Priest does Scripture say: “Let us therefore come boldly.” That order matters. Our confidence before God does not begin with ourselves. It begins with Christ. If my boldness depends upon how spiritual I feel today, it will constantly rise and fall. After a wonderful week of prayer, I may feel confident. After failure, weakness or inconsistency, I may suddenly feel as though I have lost the right to approach God.
But the writer of Hebrews does not tell me to examine the quality of my week before deciding whether I can come. He points me toward Jesus. Our access is established in Him.
Boldness Is Not Arrogance
The verse does not say we approach a casual meeting place. We approach a throne. A throne speaks of kingship, authority, sovereignty and majesty. The One we approach is still God. Biblical confidence never removes reverence. But Hebrews gives this throne a remarkable name: “The throne of grace.” Think about those two realities together. It is a throne, therefore I do not approach God as though He exists to carry out my instructions.
It is a throne of grace, therefore I do not approach trembling like someone trying to persuade an unwilling King to tolerate my presence. There is reverence without terror. There is confidence without arrogance. There is intimacy without familiarity that dishonours His holiness. Bold prayer is not telling God what He must do. It is approaching Him with confidence because Christ has made access possible.
And boldness is certainly not measured by volume. A whispered prayer rooted in Christ can contain more spiritual confidence than a shouted prayer rooted in insecurity. There are biblical moments for crying aloud, but heaven does not measure authority in decibels.
The Way Has Already Been Opened
Hebrews returns to this truth later:
“Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus.” — Hebrews 10:19 KJV
That statement would have been astonishing within the Old Covenant context. Access to the holiest was restricted. The high priest entered the Holy of Holies under very specific conditions. But Hebrews announces something extraordinary about the finished work of Christ. We have boldness to enter by the blood of Jesus. This means you are not standing outside God’s presence trying to convince Him to let you in.
In Christ, the way has been opened. Your secret place is not built upon your spiritual résumé. You are not admitted because you prayed for an impressive number of hours this week. You do not gain access because you managed to avoid every mistake. We come through Jesus. This does not make holiness unimportant. Grace does not give us permission to become comfortable with sin. The same Christ who gives us access transforms us.
But our transformation is not the entrance fee. Jesus is the way.
Shame Tells Us To Hide
Humanity has been hiding from God since Genesis 3. After Adam and Eve sinned, they hid themselves from the presence of the Lord. Sin still produces that instinct. When we fail, something inside wants to withdraw. Perhaps that is why condemnation is so destructive to prayer. It does not merely tell you that something you did was wrong. It begins attacking your willingness to approach God.
The Holy Spirit’s conviction works differently. Conviction brings truth into the light so that we can repent and be restored. First John 1:9 says: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Condemnation says, Hide. Grace says, Come. Romans 8:1 declares: “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus…” If you have sinned, the answer is not pretending it does not matter. Confess it. Turn from it. Receive God’s forgiveness. But do not allow shame to build a wall where the blood of Jesus opened a way.
Our High Priest Understands Human Weakness
Hebrews says something deeply comforting about Jesus:
“For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities…” — Hebrews 4:15 KJV
Then it tells us He: “…was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” Jesus is completely sinless, yet He is not detached from the reality of human weakness and temptation. The One through whom we approach the Father understands suffering, temptation, weariness and human frailty. One of the most freeing things I see in Hebrews 4 is that God does not ask me to arrive pretending I have no weakness. The invitation to come boldly appears in the same passage that acknowledges our infirmities.
We do not approach because we have become people who no longer need help. We approach precisely because help is available.
Mercy For What Is Behind You, Grace For What Is Before You
Hebrews 4:16 tells us why we come: “…that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” There is mercy. There is grace. There is help. The throne of grace is not a reward reserved for people who have finally reached the point where they no longer need grace. It is where needy people are invited to find help. Sometimes we make the mistake of waiting until we feel stronger before returning seriously to prayer. Yet if strength is what you need, why stay away from the place where grace to help is available?
If you need mercy, come. If you need wisdom, come. If you are struggling, come. If you need strength to obey, come. If yesterday was a spiritual disaster, do not spend today hiding. Come. Not arrogantly. Not casually. But confidently through Jesus Christ.
Spiritual Authority Begins Here
Today begins a new phase of Prayer Awakening: Awaken Spiritual Authority. Before we talk about praying in the Holy Ghost, spiritual alertness, our position in Christ, the armour of God, faith and travail, we must establish this foundation. Spiritual authority does not begin with trying to sound powerful. It begins with knowing where you stand because of Christ. A woman who does not understand her access to God may spend prayer trying to earn what Jesus has already provided.
But when Christ becomes the foundation, prayer changes. You stop approaching like an unwanted stranger. You come as one whose access has been established through the Great High Priest.
Come Today
Is there something that has made you hesitant to approach God? Perhaps you feel guilty. Perhaps you have been inconsistent. Perhaps you are disappointed with yourself. Perhaps you are painfully aware of weakness. Do not clean yourself up spiritually and then come to the throne of grace. Come honestly. If there is sin, confess it. If you need mercy, receive it. If you need grace, ask. If you need help, say so. Then stop continually inspecting yourself to determine whether you finally feel worthy enough to pray.
Your confidence was never supposed to rest there. Look to Jesus. Hebrews does not say, “Come boldly because you have performed perfectly.” It says we have a Great High Priest. Therefore: Come boldly.
Declarations
◆ Jesus Christ is my Great High Priest, and my access to God is established through Him.
◆ I come boldly to the throne of grace with reverence, confidence and faith.
◆ I refuse condemnation and every lie that tells me to hide from God.
◆ When I fall short, I will confess, repent and return to God rather than withdraw in shame.
◆ The blood of Jesus has opened the way, and I do not have to earn access to the presence of God.
◆ I receive mercy for my failures and grace to help me in every time of need.
◆ My confidence before God rests in Christ and not in the perfection of my spiritual performance.
◆ I will approach God honestly with my weakness rather than pretending I have no need.
◆ My spiritual authority is rooted in Christ, not in volume, emotion or human strength.
◆ Because of Jesus, I will live and pray as a woman who knows she is welcomed at the throne of grace.
My Prayer For You
May every wall of condemnation and shame fall before the revelation of what Christ has accomplished for you. May you know Jesus deeply as your Great High Priest and approach the throne of grace with reverence, confidence and freedom, receiving mercy and finding grace whenever you need help.
