The Throne of Grace

This is a post from a few years ago, yet is so timely right now…

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, NIV)

With Jesus as our high priest, we can feel free to come before God’s throne where there is grace. There we receive mercy and kindness to help us when we need it. – (Hebrews 4:16, ERV)

So let us step boldly to the throne of grace, where we can find mercy and grace to help when we need it most. – (Hebrews 4:16, VOICE)

 

This is a timely reminder this morning, as I find myself on the brink of burnout. It is easy to remember to approach God on His throne of grace to petition on behalf of those around me, but I don’t think that I go before God often enough for the mercy and grace that I truly need. Don’t get me wrong, I pray for strength to get through the day and patience to persevere; but really boldly stepping into His throne room to rest and refresh and meet my own deepest needs – seldom, to rarely, at best. Perhaps it is a matter of looking for ways to keep a Sabbath. Rest is not my forte, and to do so would require serious intentionality. To find grace and mercy and help when we need it most, looks different for each person. For me, I feel closest to our Creator when I am outside in the beauty that He has made. When my body is moving, my mind and heart are able to find rest. For others, rest is a matter of being still. What does appear to be clear is that I need to make time to be intentionally in a space where my heart and mind are fixed on God, just being present (without studying, writing, or any sort of specific doing), so that His mercy, grace and help may be made tangibly known. May we each be intentional to step boldly to the throne of grace, so that we may find mercy and grace and help when we need it most.

 

Go to the throne room,

Seek God and His grace;

Rest in His presence,

Receive His embrace.

For as we choose rest,

Let our minds be still;

God’s goodness and help,

Floods as mercy fills.

Choose set aside time,

By grace, enter in;

Be refreshed in love,

It’s where peace begins.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that You love us with an everlasting love. Thank You that You made the way through Your Son, so that we can come before Your throne and be in Your presence, and You grant us mercy and grace and the help we are needing. Thank You that You are greater than every challenge we face, and that You provide Your help and presence, with mercy and grace. Forgive us for not being intentional to seek time just being present with You. Teach us how to rest in You. Show us what it means to find rest and refreshment in Your throne room. Lead us to love those around us in a way that encourages, strengthens and refreshes where weariness is setting in. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we love You and are forever grateful that we can come into Your presence and receive mercy and grace and help. Amen.

 

© Shannon Elizabeth Grabrick and Revelations in Writing, May 2011 – present

 

Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from Him. – Psalm 62:5

Approach Boldly

Therefore let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us at the proper time. – (Hebrews 4:16, HCSB)

With Jesus as our high priest, we can feel free to come before God’s throne where there is grace. There we receive mercy and kindness to help us when we need it. – (Hebrews 4:16, ERV)

So now we draw near freely and boldly to where grace is enthroned, to receive mercy’s kiss and discover the grace we urgently need to strengthen us in our time of weakness. – (Hebrews 4:16, TPT)

This morning, the need for grace is great, as I am running on four hours of sleep. Our dogs do not understand daylight savings time, nor do they have any concern for whether or not I get enough sleep. Thankfully, I can come before God and ask for help to function and do what I need to do, and can praise Him for the time to nap that will be available this afternoon. It seems trivial, but God cares about every aspect of our lives, including our need for sleep. I am grateful that this is still a weekend, and trust that He will provide what I need to feel refreshed and ready for the week ahead. May we ever seek the Lord, our High Priest, whom we can approach boldly to receive mercy and kindness and help whenever we need it.

Sweet sleeping puppies,

All has become calm;

The Lord’s loving grace,

Is a healing balm.

No matter our need,

Both the great and small;

The Lord, He hears us,

And cares about all.

So, look to the Lord,

Seek Him and His grace;

Loving Provider,

Who hears us, always.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that You see and hear and know our needs. Thank You that You care about all things, great and small. Thank You that we can come to You for anything and You hear us. Forgive us for thinking that our needs are trivial or not what You care about. Teach us to present all to You and give You praise for Your ongoing faithfulness. Show us how to love those around us well. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we boldly approach Your throne, trusting that You are good and faithful to meet our needs. Amen.

© Shannon Elizabeth Grabrick and Revelations in Writing, May 2011 – present

For the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me and have believed that I came from God. – John 16:27

The Throne of Grace

Therefore let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us at the proper time. – (Hebrews 4:16, HCSB)

With Jesus as our high priest, we can feel free to come before God’s throne where there is grace. There we receive mercy and kindness to help us when we need it. – (Hebrews 4:16, ERV)

So now we draw near freely and boldly to where grace is enthroned, to receive mercy’s kiss and discover the grace we urgently need to strengthen us in our time of weakness. – (Hebrews 4 :16, TPT)

By Friday, I feel like I have finally reached the doorway to the throne of grace, as a break is at long last, in reach. However, I know that I can approach God anytime, for He is willing and ready to provide all that we need whenever we ask. It is interesting how much more we become aware of our need for God in times of difficulty and trials. He is good, and His mercy, kindness and help are always available to the seeking. This morning, as I prepare for the day, I again approach God to supply all that I need to navigate well. Each day is new, as are His mercies each morning. May we be intentional to come before the throne of grace to receive all that we need to persevere.

We have a high priest,

Photo by Harrison Haines on Pexels.com

Who is ever near;

His heart is for us,

His grace is made clear.

He grants us His strength,

When we have no more;

He leads us to peace,

Through His open door.

Show us, dear Jesus,

Your mercy anew;

Grant us peace and strength,

To live and love true.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that we have an open invitation to approach Your throne of grace to receive all that we need. Thank You that You are loving and kind, and that You supply all that is needed as we come to You. Forgive us for thinking that we have to navigate on our own, or somehow power through things that are not ours to walk through alone. Teach us to seek and rely on You in all things and at all times. Show us how to love like You so that we may extend mercy and grace where it is needed most. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we continue to come before You to be our strength and supply. Amen.

© Shannon Elizabeth Grabrick and Revelations in Writing, May 2011 – present

Indeed, we have all received grace after grace from His fullness. – John 1:16

The Throne of Grace

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, NIV)

With Jesus as our high priest, we can feel free to come before God’s throne where there is grace. There we receive mercy and kindness to help us when we need it. – (Hebrews 4:16, ERV)

So let us step boldly to the throne of grace, where we can find mercy and grace to help when we need it most. – (Hebrews 4:16, VOICE)

 

This is a timely reminder this morning, as I find myself on the brink of burnout. It is easy to remember to approach God on His throne of grace to petition on behalf of those around me, but I don’t think that I go before God often enough for the mercy and grace that I truly need. Don’t get me wrong, I pray for strength to get through the day and patience to persevere; but really boldly stepping into His throne room to rest and refresh and meet my own deepest needs – seldom, to rarely, at best. Perhaps it is a matter of looking for ways to keep a Sabbath. Rest is not my forte, and to do so would require serious intentionality. To find grace and mercy and help when we need it most, looks different for each person. For me, I feel closest to our Creator when I am outside in the beauty that He has made. When my body is moving, my mind and heart are able to find rest. For others, rest is a matter of being still. What does appear to be clear is that I need to make time to be intentionally in a space where my heart and mind are fixed on God, just being present (without studying, writing, or any sort of specific doing), so that His mercy, grace and help may be made tangibly known. May we each be intentional to step boldly to the throne of grace, so that we may find mercy and grace and help when we need it most.

 

Go to the throne room,

Seek God and His grace;

Rest in His presence,

Receive His embrace.

For as we choose rest,

Let our minds be still;

God’s goodness and help,

Floods as mercy fills.

Choose set aside time,

By grace, enter in;

Be refreshed in love,

It’s where peace begins.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that You love us with an everlasting love. Thank You that You made the way through Your Son, so that we can come before Your throne and be in Your presence, and You grant us mercy and grace and the help we are needing. Thank You that You are greater than every challenge we face, and that You provide Your help and presence, with mercy and grace. Forgive us for not being intentional to seek time just being present with You. Teach us how to rest in You. Show us what it means to find rest and refreshment in Your throne room. Lead us to love those around us in a way that encourages, strengthens and refreshes where weariness is setting in. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we love You and are forever grateful that we can come into Your presence and receive mercy and grace and help. Amen.

 

© Shannon Elizabeth Grabrick and Revelations in Writing, May 2011 – present

 

Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from Him. – Psalm 62:5

Bold Grace

So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive His mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most. – (Hebrews 4:16, NLT)

With Jesus as our high priest, we can feel free to come before God’s throne where there is grace. There we receive mercy and kindness to help us when we need it. – (Hebrews 4:16, ERV)

So let us step boldly to the throne of grace, where we can find mercy and grace to help when we need it most. – (Hebrews 4:16, VOICE)

 

Shame is a horribly heavy burden, especially when others have helped add weight to that which is constantly carried. Each time I have a conversation with someone who feels as if there is not a place for them to plug into a church, either because of their past or due to their current circumstances, my heart breaks a bit more. If we are truly loving God and loving people, shouldn’t we have open arms to all who choose to wander our way? Yes, there are precautions and wisdom that need be established for safety (we cannot be unwise) but we all have sinned and fallen short, so we are all equally eligible for the grace of God. His mercy and kindness are the very things that remove the burdens that we are not meant to bear. When we love people well, it often is the nudge needed for them to recognize that they are not beyond the reach of God’s mercy and grace. May we seek our Savior with open hearts and arms to receive His mercy and grace, so that we may in turn, go forth and extend the same to those around us.

 

Let us boldly go, 

To the throne of grace;

Where God in mercy,

Our shame shall erase.

The weight we carry,

In love, He removes;

As His help He brings,

And faithfulness proves.

Choose ever seek God,

Go straight to His throne;

Give as He gives us,

So His love’s made known.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that You loved us so much that You sent Your Son to bear the weight of all of our sin and shame. Thank You that because of Your sacrifice, we can come boldly before Your throne of grace to receive mercy and help whenever we need it. Forgive us for not extending the same mercy and grace to those around us that we have been given by You. Teach us to trust You more, so that we would love fearlessly and without basing our love on what has or has not been done by those around us. Show us how to love those around us as You do. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we come boldly to Your throne of grace to receive Your mercy and extend the same to others. Amen.

 

© Shannon Elizabeth Moreno and Revelations in Writing, May 2011 – present

 

For the Lord your God will bless you, …and your joy will be complete. – Deuteronomy 16:15

Trust in Our Trials

All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. – (2 Corinthians 1:3, NLT)

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the Father who is full of mercy, the God of all comfort. – (2 Corinthians 1:3, ERV)

What a wonderful God we have – He is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Source of every mercy, and the One who so wonderfully comforts and strengthens us in our hardships and trials. – (2 Corinthians 1:3, TLB)

 

God is good. He is full of mercy and comforts us through our hardships and trials. His goodness and grace are not dependent on how we feel, and His mercy knows no end. I am one who craves constant activity. When I am utilizing my body as it was designed, be it to run or hike or partake in my sport of the season, it is in these that I feel free and most alive. Sadly, with the injury I sustained last week, I am unable to do anything that requires weight-bearing on my leg with the fracture and am at a loss for what to do to truly move as my body craves to move. Incredibly, His mercy has been my comfort, and so far, my heart has held hope that the healing process for a fracture is far shorter than that of a more severe sort of injury. This morning I will see the orthopedist and know more about the specific plan for healing and recovery and have a better idea of timeline. As I go, I hold hope that He is my strength and comfort and will be with me. May we ever trust in He who is our Source of mercy, and our generous Provider of comfort and strength through every hardship and trial.

 

The Lord is still good, 

When things all seem bad;

Comfort through trials,

What we never had.

He gives us the strength,

To rise and press on;

When in our own mind,

All hope is but gone.

His mercy restores,

Upheld by His grace;

He loves us to life,

Strength to all things face.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, all praise to You, the Father of our Lord Jesus. Thank You that You are full of mercy and that You comfort us and strengthen us in the midst of our hardships and trials. Forgive us for either allowing our circumstances to overwhelm us, or for attempting to power through our trials on our own. Teach us to trust You more, as You are the One who provides all that we need to navigate every difficulty that we face and You cover us with Your love and Your grace. Show us how to love those around us in the same way, so that they too, would know Your comfort, grace, strength, mercy and love in the midst of every trial faced. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we give You all praise for who You are and how You love us in tangible ways in the midst of our struggles. Amen.

 

© Shannon Elizabeth Moreno and Revelations in Writing, May 2011 – present

But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ. – Ephesians 2:4-5

Come Boldly

So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive His mercy, and we will find the grace to help us when we need it most. – (Hebrews 4:16, NLT)

With Jesus as our high priest, we can feel free to come before God’s throne where there is grace. There we receive mercy and kindness to help us when we need it. – (Hebrews 4:16, ERV)

 

Today is certainly a day to come boldly before His throne. This is the last school day before we begin spring break, and the weather is again, expected to exceed seventy degrees. The level of crazy among middle schoolers is at an all-time high, and the amount of mercy and grace needed by this weary teacher, is tangible. It has been the longest week that I have had in a very long time, as our gymnastics season just came to an end, and there has been something every evening this week. All of the busy has been good, just a bit exhausting. His grace has covered me in extraordinary ways already, as I have been migraine-free this week, despite a serious lack of sleep. This, in and of itself, is a remarkable gift of grace. Kids are weary as well. Some are eager for the plans that their families have made in the coming week, yet others, are anxious at the uncertainty of where they will be obtaining meals, concerned about how they will be treated, or overwhelmed by the weight of responsibilities that they will be expected to bear. The kindness, mercy and grace that He gives, is the very same gift that needs to be passed on to these kids in their spaces of uncertainty. May we each seek the Lord and His mercy and grace, and then go forth and extend the same to all others who share our space.

 

Let us boldly come,

to His throne of grace;

where mercy’s received,

as we seek His face.

The grace that He gives,

is more than enough;

our help in our need,

strength when times are tough.

And as we depend,

on our great High Priest;

we too offer grace,

as agents of peace.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that because of Your Son, we can boldly approach Your throne and receive mercy and grace when we need it most. Thank You that You give us what we need, and are our help and our strength. Forgive us for attempting to power through things on our own, or for not trusting You to be enough to see us through our space of need. Teach us to trust You more. Show us how to rely on You to be our strength and supply, so that we too, may go forth and extend Your grace and mercy to those around us. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we love and honor You in our seeking and extending of the truth. Amen.

© Shannon Elizabeth Moreno and Revelations in Writing, May 2011 – present.

He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy. – Job 8:21