Throne of Grace part 1
Every once in a while you need to go cow tipping, right? Knock over those sacred cows, or those twisted ideas that somehow take root and take hold. 2 Corinthians 10:3-5, "For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ." Now what I DON'T think this means is that we should spend all of our time and effort chasing every thought we have. Overthinking. Worrying. I think this means we should cast our cares on Him because He cares for us. Instead of focusing on what's wrong... we should fill ourselves with what's right. If you know the truth, you can ignore the lie. Ok. I said all that to say this: I think one of the biggest misconceptions about God is that He is a distant, angry taskmaster who is just sitting on His throne of judgment waiting to get us. That's not God. Not the God who is love who was personified in the man Jesus. So let's look at the throne. The so-called "judgment" seat. Hebrews 4:16 says, "Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." The throne of grace. The mercy seat. And let's be real for a second: When you want something (or need something) you have to look for it in the right place. Looking for love in all the wrong places will ensure that you don't find it. Where else BUT the throne of grace could you go in order to find grace? You have to go to the source. Now let me add another layer to this. Genesis 6:8 says, "Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD." Again, he went to the source. Found it where he was looking for it. And isn't it odd that there's a "law" in the old covenant that says no man can look into the face of God without dying... but we see over and over again that God has always WANTED to show us His face. He has grace in His eyes. Why woudn't He want us to see it? God has never had a problem giving signs to people when they needed them. God has never had a problem showing up and showing out. Remember when Paul wrote, "But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:19)? So powerful to me. Because we can't go to the source if we don't know what the source is. Or where the source is. Or who the source is. We can come BOLDY to the throne of grace. To find grace. In times of need. Because that is what we need. In times of need. I think one of the worst feelings in the world is needing something that you can't have. Or something that you don't have. And I'm not talking about "wants." I'm talking about needs. My God shall supply all your NEED. Needs are greater than wants. And God has us covered in those situations. In ALL situations. But here's the thing--while I believe God does a lot for us behind the scenes that we don't even know about... I believe that a lot of the time "...ye have not, because ye ask not" (James 4:3). God makes things available to us. He doesn't force things upon us. But when we ask... when we approach the throne with boldness, "...all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us" (2 Corinthians 1:20). Don't be afraid of the throne. That's my point. And don't be afraid of the One who sits on the throne. He's got your back. He loves you. Because He is your heavenly Father and you are His beloved Son in whom He is well pleased!