17th July 2024
It is possible
This is the sixteenth in a series of studies on the subject of prayer
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 (NIVUK)
It is possible for us to talk to God; that may seem too obvious for words, but I believe it needs to be emphasised. From my own experience and from talking to other Christians, it seems to me that one of the greatest hindrances to prayer comes when we feel that we are not ready to pray. We can feel unprepared – how do I start, what do I say? Or we can feel distant from God – maybe we haven’t prayed for some time. Or we feel spiritually below par – perhaps we know our lifestyle isn’t what God would want. The result is that we feel unworthy and decide to give prayer a miss for a while until we feel in a better frame of mind.
Let me suggest that if Christians prayed only when they were worthy to do so, God would still be waiting for the first call. The writer of Hebrews insists that it is possible for us to confidently approach God however we feel, and that there is grace and mercy for us in our time of need.
How is that possible? When Jesus died on the cross, we read that ‘…the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom’ (Matthew 27:51). This curtain hung between the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies: the inner sanctuary of the Temple. This curtain symbolised that there was a barrier between humanity and God, and because of our sin we were barred from coming into God’s holy presence. But when Jesus died, the curtain was miraculously torn apart by an act of God, symbolising that the sin barrier had been removed, and now ‘…we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body…’ (Hebrews 10:19-20).
We can come with confidence because Christ died to put away the one thing that previously prevented us from coming – our sin. So, ‘let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.’ (v.22).
Whatever our situation, however we feel, no matter what our problem is, let nothing keep us back from prayer, and from knowing that because of Jesus’s death, it is possible to have instant, continuous access to our Father in heaven.
Prayer
Loving Father, thank you for the gift of prayer. Help us in our need to come to you confidently, knowing we will find mercy and grace. In Jesus’s name, Amen.
Study by Barry Robinson
About the writer:
Barry Robinson is a minister in Grace Communion International and Regional Pastor for Southern England, the Midlands, and Wales
Local congregation:
Grace Communion West Hampstead
Sidings Community Centre
150 Brassey Road
West Hampstead
London
NW6 2BA
Meeting time:
Sunday 12.30 pm
Local congregational contact:
Gordon Brown
gordon.brown@gracecom.church
Word of Life contact:
wordoflife@gracecom.church