Help Wanted

Hebrews 4:16  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.

This is the verse I am choosing to focus on and memorize this week.  Technically it shouldn't count because I memorized it a couple years ago, but I find myself wanting to recommit it to heart, not because I forgot it, but because I've not really applied it to my life.  I've been fairly decent at quoting Scripture through the years and can pull a verse for someone who needs an aptly timed word, but living like it's made a difference, let's just say I'm that hearer James warns us about. #Bandaids

The part that really hit me about this verse, seeing it in my own handwriting, are the last few words, 'find grace to help us in our time of need.'  In order to do that we have to know when our time of need has come.  We have to be willing to identify our lack, humble enough to admit it, and strong enough to say we can't do it on our own.  We live in a world that praises independence but we serve a King that desires us to be in-dependence upon Him.

That said, any time we determine that we can do anything without Him, we are going to fail.  We are told in John 15:5 that apart from Him we can do nothing.  And just so you know, that includes breathing because He is the one who puts breath in our lungs.  Mic Dropped.  So to truly approach God in our time of need, means to approach Him constantly for everything and stop operating on autopilot.

One of the things I love most about God is His creativity.  He just doesn't do things the same way twice.  From Old to New Testament, stories of similar circumstances are handled uniquely.  And maybe, just maybe, we need to seek Him on everything because the way He led us to do it before is not the way He wants us to do it now.  Circumstances, people, and consequences change because time has passed.  As we grow in our walk with Christ, opportunities and obstacles that present themselves are evidence of His grace to stretch and grow us further.  Leading us into even greater dependence on Him.

As you start this week, with all of the challenges that will come, as well as the things that seem to require no advanced planning, stop and seek God.  Approach Him with an unwavering confidence and find the help He is ready and willing to give you.

Father, we operate so much on our own because we forget that You actually want to help us.  If you didn't, you wouldn't have given us Your Spirit or the words of truth that say we can approach You, seek You, and ask You for what we need.  Slow us down.  Give us moments to pause and hear You whisper the way we should go.  More than anything we want to acknowledge that You are God in heaven above and on the earth below.  Amen.