June 2: Getting answers from God

Therefore let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and find grace whenever we need help.   (Hebrews 4:16  NET)

Faith is not only being sure of what we hope for, it’s also having the confidence and boldness to approach God and ask for what we need. In the Old Testament, people could not enter the Most Holy Place in the temple, only one priest one time a year could do that. When the Israelites were camping at the base of Mount Sinai they were ordered not to approach the mountain under penalty of death. But everything changed with the Lord Jesus.  Now we’re asked to approach God boldly, believing that He will hear us and answer our prayers. 

When we do not have this confidence, when we’re afraid to approach God and ask for what we need, we’re reverting back to the Old Testament and acting as if the Lord Jesus has done nothing for us. It’s normal to fear approaching important, powerful people when we feel that we are not on the same level of importance, but in the case of God, He asks us to approach Him. If we insist on being afraid to approach, feeling that being that bold would be insulting and wrong, we are being disobedient to God and ignoring His command.

In the original Greek the last phrase of this verse, translated “whenever we need help”, actually means receiving help “in a timely manner”. If we accept God’s challenge and approach Him boldly, we can expect Him to answer us at the right time, exactly when we need it.