16 December 2015 + Love Dare Day 16

Prayer
      7. Asking for Help

Scripture:

• Hebrews 4:16

Observations:

Okay, so, we're seeing that we can come before God, to receive grace and mercy in times of need.

That's all well and generous of God, but why? Doesn't God hate our sin? Why would I, a sinner, ever be able to come before God?

Well, let's look one verse earlier

"For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin." Heb 4:15

Guys, Jesus has been there. You're struggling with lust? Jesus has been there. Doubt? Jesus has been there. Stealing? Jesus has been there. Yes, Jesus understands temptation. He was both fully man and fully God, remember? The verse immediately prior to this, calls Jesus our "great high priest". There is nothing we go through that Christ has not gone through and overcome. The whole point of a high priest, as the author describes in ch. 5, is to act on behalf of men to God, offering gifts and sacrifices, because he, the high priest, is able to deal with the sinful, because he himself faces these same weaknesses.

Therefore, as the author of Hebrews later proclaims, let us keep our eyes on Jesus, who is the progenitor and perfector of our faith, who endured the cross, shouldered our sins, and is now seated in heaven with God.

Now, there's one word that I left out in my little summary at the beginning. That word is confidence.

Guys, we have confidence to come before God. It's not like in ancient times, where coming before the king unbidden could warrant death. No, we have the invitation because of Christ. We can come before God confidently to receive mercy and grace.

And what's the goal of receiving mercy and grace? That we may find help in time of need.

Overcoming sin is a time of need. It's a perfectly good reason to come before God. I mean, we have the ability to come before God, we have need of what God gives, and, with what God gives, we have the ability to draw even closer to him. Why would we not come to God?

Application:

Having had a breakthrough yesterday, I am reminded to not leap into a sense of plastic optimism. I still have my sins. I still have issues to work through. I still have core, heart issues that need to change for any external change to stick.

I cannot be ignorant of my problems now, just as I was not ignorant of them yesterday. Instead, I need to continue in sober-minded hope. I still need to come before God in humility. I still need to seek his strength, grace, and mercy.

This passage, or more, God's revelation to my initial ambivalence when reading this passage, has reminded me to stay the course.

It's kinda like taking DOTS therapy for TB. It's a six-month course of antibiotics, but you feel better after week 1. The problem is, if you stop when you feel better, the infection is still present, merely dormant, and will reappear later, stronger and more resistant to what treatment you were using.

~ ~ ~

The Love Dare

Day 16: Love Intercedes

"Beyond this, begin to pray for exactly what your mate needs.  Pray for his heart.  Pray for her attitude. Pray for your spouse’s responsibilities before God.  Pray for truth to replace lies.  Pray for forgiveness would replace bitterness.  Pray for your heart’s desires – for love and honor to become the norm.  Pray for romance and intimacy to go to a deeper level."

I wholeheartedly agree with this. I think, in some ways, the Love Dare has been hard to take seriously, because a lot of it is common sense to me, that I tend to think I'm doing, even though the evidence shows otherwise. This is one of those things, but I totally realise I need to not be flippant about. Praying for my wife is super important, especially as she's the one hurt. I need to pray for her that she may overcome her hurt and pain, just as I pray that I may be able to love her better.