Lent Day Eight
“Hebrews 4:14-16”
Hebrews 4:14-16 The Passion Translation
14 So then, we must cling in faith to all we know to be true. For we have a magnificent King-Priest, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who rose into the heavenly realm for us, and now sympathizes with us in our frailty.
15 He understands humanity, for as a Man, our magnificent King-Priest was tempted in every way just as we are, and conquered sin.
16 So now we come freely and boldly to where love is enthroned, to receive mercy’s kiss and discover the grace we urgently need to strengthen us in our time of weakness.
This passage is short enough to be read over at least a couple of times, out loud if you can! Ask yourself which phrase stands out to you. It could be ‘understands humanity’ or ‘love is enthroned’ or ‘receive mercy’s kiss’. Any of these are worth pondering on and all are capable of recalibrating a jaded and world-weary outlook. Stay with one of them if that is what the Holy Spirit is offering you today. Put it in the back pocket of your mind. Take it out and ‘read’ it again at several moments during the day but particularly when any whispers of discouragement arise in your mind.
There were two phrases which stood out to me: ‘cling in faith’ and ‘discover the grace’. The first phrase brings two images simultaneously into my mind. The first is of someone thrown overboard, clinging on desperately to a lifebuoy and only just managing to stay afloat as wave after wave crash over them. The second image is of a kitten dangling from the branch of a tree, holding on by just a single claw. I think this is a poster I once saw and under it were the words ‘faith isn’t faith until it’s all your holding onto’. From both of these images the message is: ‘hang on in there’. Which one do you connect with?
The second phrase that caught my attention was ‘discover the grace’ or, more accurately, ‘discover the grace we urgently need’. I don’t know about you but when I am in a situation which might drive me to my knees in prayer, grace isn’t often the thing I ask for. I’m asking instead for a rope to pull me out the water or a safety net into which I can fall. In other words, I’d like a solution to be offered, a problem to be solved. God doesn’t necessarily offer me that, not at once anyway, but God does offer me his presence, his loving kiss of mercy, and his strength and all of these together are grace which turns out to be exactly what I need.
Activate Your Life
Exists to equip, resource, train and inspire Christian women to be active in sharing God's love in natural, meaningful ways.
Sheila Bridge
Sheila Bridge is Associate Minister St Matthews Salford Priors and part of the Activate Team.