Hebrews 4:16 Time of Need

Hebrews 4:16  “Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need”. (NASB)

My son is away at school an upper class-man at Fresno State and on track to graduate in four years.  I am blessed by his diligence toward his schooling as he continually gets high marks.  I am likewise blessed that he has found employment with a company that has turned into more than summertime work.  He has continued to work through the fall semester and has now started back during the spring.  In addition, the work is in his field of study so at least the work experience will qualify him upon graduation for full time employment somewhere.  At best, the company he works for may want him permanently.

All those remarks on our blessings are to set the premise for our suffering.  His work requires him to travel half an hour to and from the yard where he can pick up his company truck.  That extra wear and tear has taken its toll and we have recently found ourselves with unexpected repair bills.  Front end, tires, starter and flywheel, tune up, towing and now a catalytic converter add up to thousands of dollars we hadn’t planned on spending.

OUCH!

What to do, what to do?  As I write the BLOG today this is what’s on my mind and I have to turn back to Scripture to remind me to pray.  I have in Jesus a “Great high priest” Hebrews 4:14 who has walked among us and suffered all we have suffered and so much more.  I also have to put in perspective my troubles with those of others facing much worse.  I am so blessed yet find a situation for which I don’t have an easy answer.  I need to give this one to the Lord and pray and think and yield to Him.  I don’t need to panic or face despair or get angry; none of that will help.

Scripture says I should pray so pray I will.  I won’t pray for the easy answer but I will pray for the revelation of His perfect will under these circumstances.  If we are called to a season of doing without, well maybe that’s just what we need.  What I do know is that God’s Word is true; when I draw near to the “Throne of Grace” I will “Receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need”.  AMEN!

Jeremiah 17:13-14 Healing

Jeremiah 17:13-14  “O LORD, the hope of Israel, All who forsake You will be put to shame. Those who turn away on earth will be written down, Because they have forsaken the fountain of living water, even the LORD.  (14)  Heal me, O LORD, and I will be healed; Save me and I will be saved, For You are my praise.” (NASB)

Today my dad is having surgery and I’m sitting in the waiting room with my mother and brother anticipating a good outcome.  As we wait I decided to search through Scripture on healing and find many references.  It is clear Jesus and the Apostles performed miraculous healing during their ministries.  But what about today?

The first Scripture I’d like to share is this passage from Jeremiah.  I think the attitude shown here is the key and a lesson for us to remember today.  First, the prophet acknowledges God, “The Hope of Israel” and the stark reality that all will not accept Him.  He says, “All who forsake You will be put to shame.  Those who turn away on earth will be written down”.  That is remembered but not in a good way.  The truth of who God is and our relationship to Him is the foundation for what comes next.

The prophet yields to God as he writes, “Heal me, O LORD, and I will be healed; Save me and I will be saved, For You are my praise”.  This yielding to God’s will is the attitude we are to have with regard to His healing and His saving us.  In other words, the position is one of faith in the Lord and acceptance of His will; “Your will be done” Matthew 6:10.  So with regard to our reliance on God’s healing it is to be from a position of reliance, hope, faith and submission.  “Heal me, O LORD, and I will be healed”.

In the New Testament, James 5:14-16 addresses the topic.  It begins by giving instruction to call on the elders to offer prayers for the sick.  I have been involved in that process several times and there is something special in both praying for and being prayed over in this situation.  The key remains praying for God’s will to be done.  This passage goes on, “Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.” James 5:16 (NASB)

The first step again is getting right with God through confession.  Then, it says to “Pray for one another so that you may be healed”.  This means that when we get right with God and come to Him with our prayers, yielding to His will, He hears our prayers and will accomplish healing in our bodies.  Please don’t misunderstand, it is when we pray according to His will that healing is accomplished.  “Heal me. O LORD, and I will be healed”.

All this to say, when we offer to pray for one another we are following the instructions provided in Scripture.  It is a good thing we do.  So today, as you read the BLOG please pray for my dad, Ken Nicol.  “The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much”.  AMEN!