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Let us come boldly to the throne of grace!

The Promise of Prayer (1)

Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4.16

Friends of Jesus
“You are My friends,” Jesus said to His disciples. What an unspeakable, inestimable privilege! To be a friend of Jesus! His companion, colleague, and intimate acquaintance! Jesus, Who spoke the worlds into being! Jesus, Who healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, raised the dead, proclaimed the Kingdom, fulfilled all righteousness, died and rose again, and now rules on high, upholding the universe and everything in it by His Word of power, gathering and sanctifying His elect, and preparing a place in eternal glory for all His friends! What a glorious calling and promise, to be a friend of Jesus!

But, who are the friends of Jesus?

Doubtless every believer likes to think of himself or herself as a friend of Jesus. We believe in Him, that He died for our sins and rose again for our salvation. We delight to worship Him and to be with others who do. And we find it comforting to recall His promise to be with us always, in every situation, every day of our lives (Matt. 28.20).

Surely we who do these things can count ourselves among the friends of Jesus?

Well, what did Jesus say? “You are My friends if you do whatever I command you” (Jn. 15.14). Let’s not miss that qualifying word, whatever. Jesus didn’t say, “You are My friends if you like being with Me.” Or. “If you believe in Me for forgiveness and salvation.” Or, “If you go to church.” As important as each of these is, even taken all together they cannot guarantee you or anyone else the status of being regarded by Jesus as among His friends.

Whatever Jesus commands
To be counted in that number, you must do whatever Jesus commands you. And when it comes to the commandments of our Lord Jesus, it’s best to take them according to the priority He places on them. First among these is that we abide in Jesus and seek His Kingdom and righteousness (Jn. 15.4-10; Matt. 6.33). Abiding in Jesus will find us listening to His Word and keeping His commandments. Seeking His Kingdom is the form obedience takes in every area of our lives.

Close on the heels of this, and intimately connected to abiding in Jesus and seeking His Kingdom, is the work of prayer. “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden…” (Matt. 11.28). They join the circle of Jesus’ friends who abide in Him and seek His Kingdom, devoting themselves to continuous, untiring prayer (Lk. 18.1).

The friends of Jesus may be known by the fervor and faithfulness of their prayers. The writer of Hebrews thus with good reason commands us to come boldly into the throne room of God, to join with our great High Priest and Friend in the work of prayer. Jesus promises us friendship with Himself and access to the Father in prayer, and they who are His friends dwell in that access increasingly.

Access for what?
But to what is access promised? And to what end?

The writer of Hebrews calls us into the very throne room of Christ, to immerse ourselves, by means of the eye of faith (Eph. 1.15-23), in the glory, splendor, beauty, and might where Jesus dwells at the right hand of God. There we join our voices with those of saints and angels to cry “Glory!” to the Father, to sing our praise, declare our thanks, and seek the mercy and grace we need for daily obedience to our King.

Jesus promises that His friends may come through Him into that place, behind the veil, where He rules the world with truth and grace, there to obtain mercy and find grace to help in our time of need.

What we seek from our heavenly Friend, as we come before Him, is mercy – to forgive, cleanse, and sustain us; and grace – the medium of exchange in the Kingdom economy of God, the powerful spiritual coinage that has Kingdom purchasing power in every area of life. The mercy and grace we seek in prayer, and that we may confidently expect our Friend and King to grant us by His Word, have power to soothe troubled souls, embolden fearful hearts, empower spoken words, engender loving deeds, transform relationships, renew culture, and set our world rightside-up for King Jesus.

They are friends of Jesus – friends of Jesus! – who lay hold on the access He provides and come boldly, frequently, unceasingly, expectantly, humbly, and with rejoicing into His heavenly throne room, there to seek and secure the mercy and grace they need to live for and serve their Friend and King in every area of their lives.

Who are the friends of Jesus? Those who enjoy access to His throne room, and seek Him there, to abide in Him and obtain mercy and find grace for advancing His Kingdom.

For reflection
1.  Of what does your prayer life consist at this time? Can you see ways you might improve your prayers?

2.  In prayer, how real is your experience of the throne room of Jesus? Have you worked through the free 28-day devotional, Glorious Vision? This is an excellent resource to help you begin finding your way around in the throne room of the Lord. You can download it by clicking here.

3.  In what areas of your life are you most aware of needing grace to help you in seeking and advancing the Kingdom of God?

Next steps – Boasting in the Lord: Paul says that one goal in working our Personal Mission Fields (2 Cor. 10.13-18) is to increase boasting in the Lord – talking to and about Him in words of praise and thanksgiving. Such boasting rises naturally from us as we abide in Christ and seek His Kingdom in prayer. How can you add a bit more boasting in the Lord to your life today? What will that boasting entail?

T. M. Moore

Improve your prayer life. Order a copy of The Poetry of Prayer from our online store, and work through a series of exercises designed to help you make real progress in prayer. Download this week’s study in “The Promise of Prayer” as a free PDF by clicking here.

Prayer can also be greatly enhanced by singing. Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, in our
Crosfigell devotional letter, we provide a section of one of the psalms which you can sing to a familiar hymn tune. Subscribe to Crosfigell today by going to the website and clicking the pop-up to change your subscription status.

We’re happy to provide
ReVision each day at no charge, together with a PDF download of each week’s study. God provides the needs of this ministry through the prayers and gifts of those who believe in our work and benefit from it. Please seek the Lord in prayer, and wait on Him concerning whether you should share in the support of The Fellowship of Ailbe with your gifts. You can donate online with a credit card or through PayPal by clicking the Contribute button here or at the website. Or send your gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, 19 Tyler Drive, Essex Junction, VT 05452.

Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

T.M. Moore

T. M. Moore is principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He and his wife, Susie, make their home in the Champlain Valley of Vermont.
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