Come Before the Throne

"Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need" (Hebrews 4:16).

In a nation like the United States where our form of government doesn't call for a king or queen, it's hard for us to grasp what it means to "approach the throne." King Solomon's throne was inlaid with ivory and overlaid with fine gold, with a dozen carved lions decorating the steps leading up to it (1 Kings 10:18-20). King Xerxes' throne was located in an inner court of his palace, off-limits to ordinary people. To approach the throne was a special privilege granted only at the discretion of the king. Unauthorized approach could result in death—even for the king's wife! The only exception was for the king to extend his golden scepter and spare the life of his uninvited guest (Esther 4:10-5:2).

Isaiah (6:1-4), Ezekiel (1:26-28), and Daniel (7:9, 10) received glimpses of God's heavenly throne room, complete with vivid colors, bright lights, precious stones, and the sound of powerful voices. John described God's throne as encircled by a rainbow resembling an emerald. Twenty-four other thrones surrounded the throne of God, and 24 white-robed elders cast down their golden crowns as they praised God saying, "You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power" (Revelation 4:11). The final judgment will take place before God's "great white throne" (Revelation 20:11, 12).

In The God Who Hears (InterVarsity Press, 1986), W. Bingham Hunter says, "Fearing God isn’t irrational. . . . In fact, not fearing God is irrational. It forces us to deny the reality of God's holiness, power and presence." Professor Lewis Foster says God's throne is "the center of rule and authority for the whole of the universe, physical and spiritual" (Revelation, Standard Publishing, 1989). Eugene Peterson points out, "Worship is a meeting at the center so that our lives are centered in God and not lived eccentrically. . . . Failure to worship consigns us to a life of spasms and jerks, at the mercy of every advertisement, every seduction, every siren. . . . If there is no center, there is no circumference. People who do not worship are swept into a vast restlessness, epidemic in the world, with no steady direction and no sustaining purpose" (Reversed Thunder, Harper & Row, 1988).

Isn't it remarkable that Hebrews 4:16 tells us to "approach the throne of grace with confidence"? Our possessions, achievements, and religious traditions can't give us this confidence. It's by "the blood of Jesus" that "we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place" (Hebrews 10:19). It's only because of Christ that we can dare to view God's throne not merely as a throne of judgment but a throne of grace. Using Queen Esther's experience as an analogy, it's as if the King of kings has extended his golden scepter to us, allowing us to approach the throne in worship and prayer.

In a sermon on Hebrews 4:16, Charles Spurgeon said, "How this ought to encourage any of us who feel ourselves to be feeble, wandering, and unskillful in prayer. . . . Never give up, but come still, yes and come oftener, for it is not a throne of severe criticism, but to a throne of grace you come."

There at the throne of God, we will "receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." And we will remember how foolish it is to worship anyone else but him.