Finding Grace to Help

<p>FINDING GRACE TO HELP</p> <p>Hebrews 4:16 Let us then draw near with confidence (parresia) to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help (boētheia) in time of need (eukairos).</p> <p>I believe that Scripture summarises the experience of the previous account of the Mountain of Transfiguration where I outlined the three stages of personal transformation (transfiguration). These stages were, climbing the mountain, being on the mountain, and coming down from the mountain.</p> <p>What I’d like to share about today is ‘Finding grace to help’ which is the most significant aspect of stage two, about being on top of the mountain in the presence of God.</p> <p> </p> <p>That Scripture starts off by encouraging us to ‘draw near with confidence to the throne of grace’, and that summarises the first stage of the process, of climbing up the mountain.</p> <p>Our drawing near is the intention of our hearts to be closer to God. This happens as we climb and as we consider the issues of our daily life down below that are now going to be given to the Lord. We approach with confidence (parrēsia – frank and outspoken - the freedom of speech as from one citizen to another), being honest with the Lord about our doubts and fears and confusion about what to do or say in certain situations. We might question him by asking ‘why is this situation happening to me? Somehow, in one way or another we always get answers to questions like that, and they can be quite amusing. The Lord has a sense of humour and helps us to laugh at ourselves sometimes.</p> <p> </p> <p>And all the while as we are climbing, we are ‘receiving mercy’. We would not dare draw near to him without knowing and believing that this mercy was available to us, and we would certainly not confidently discuss our weakness and failures and doubts and lack of faith in such an open and honest manner on the climb unless we were willing to receive this mercy.</p> <p>On the climb we are anticipating reaching the ‘Throne of grace’, the place from where all t