““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

Many of us through the years return often to today’s Scripture: “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” And what are we looking for when we draw near to God—just getting our needs met? No, first we approach His throne of grace to receive mercy. Mercy always comes first. But we forget that, don’t we? We tend to take way too much for granted, coming to God as though He were our personal butler or spiritual ATM. To fear or respect the Lord, however, is to first kneel before Him, acknowledging that in His mercy He rescued us, ransomed us, and offered us adoption into His very family. Then, while we’re kneeling before this merciful God, we lay our cares and concerns at His feet—and find strong help and sweet provision in our time of need.