The throne room

The whole idea of the throne room of God has been on my mind a little recently. I can't quite remember how it came up, but the one verse stands out to me:

Hebrews 4: 14-16. (NLT)

...Since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.

Hebrews 4: 14-16 (The Passion translation)

So then, we must cling in our faith to allow 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. He understand humanity, for as a man, our magnificent King-Priest was tempted in every way just as we are, and conquered sin. 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 idea of approaching the throne of grace, is quoted a lot when we talk about prayer or intercession, but I think maybe one key thing is missing here.... How do we come to the throne room? Freely and boldly is great, but is there more to this?

This morning, before reading this Hebrews passage I was asking God/Jesus, about the throne room. In my imagination, it is like an empty room with an empty throne in it. It seems to me that this is where God reigns, where he created the heavens and the earth and where there is great power and might. I was wondering where God was and I felt he was with me. When I imagined myself approaching the throne, I seemed to just climb up onto the chair itself, curl up in a ball with my head on a pillow and the father tucked me in and let me rest. What is with that??

It struck be that it is not for us to rule and reign and cause things to change. It is not 'my will be done', but rather we are called to partner with our Father God in seeing His kingdom come and His will be done. Maybe this is why he was with me and not on the throne, and it makes sense that I just get to curl up and rest in the very place of great power - where the heavens and the earth were created. My father is more than happy to have me there. He just simply loves us in our weakness/ frailty and is happy to 'tuck us in' and to see us rest in these heavenly places - even if we have other agendas or think other stuff should be happening (which is often the case).

So it is to a place of rest that maybe we should come in our greatest need. Trusting that God is able, He is present and He is near, even if the throne seems empty. Like a little child - Not with a sense of entitlement or desperation, but maybe with more of a sense of wonder about the throne room itself. I remember as a child I used to love watching Dad shave - it was something that was foreign to me and unique to Dad - I found it fascinating. I loved the sound of the razor on his skin and the fresh smell and texture of the shaving foam. And the little brush was interesting too - it had its own place in the bathroom cabinet. So it is with our heavenly father - maybe he doesn't need to shave, but it is such a privilege to be able to just come to him and to simply know His ways. To see his power from time to time and to sit in awe when we do. Our God is a good God and he is not too far away.

This 4th chapter in Hebrews is interesting too - prior to the verses I have just quoted, there is (surprisingly to me this morning) a lot is said about the rest of God. The author of Hebrews refers to the verse in Psalm 95 so the Hebrews verse pretty much adds to the meaning in the Psalm.

Psalm 95: 6-11

Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker;

for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care.

Today, if only you would hear his voice, “Do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah, as you did that day at Massah in the wilderness, where your ancestors tested me; they tried me, though they had seen what I did. For forty years I was angry with that generation; I said, ‘They are a people whose hearts go astray, and they have not known my ways'. So I declared on oath in my anger, ‘They shall never enter my rest.’”

'Meribah' means quarrelling and 'Massah' means testing. An important footnote. Quarrelling, disobedience and testing God, are sinful barriers to entering into his presence or rest and receiving his mercy. The opposite of this, I guess, is worship, obedience, unity with others, thanksgiving and trust.

Hebrews 4:9-11

There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience.

The Sabbath was Jewish law - that no-one was to work on the seventh day of the week. It was a physical way of setting aside time and acknowledging the Holiness of God and his ongoing great provision for us. We are indeed the flock under His care. It refers back to the story of Creation when God rested on the seventh day (this is all sounding like the throne room again!). Jesus healed on the Sabbath and did other works, which the Pharisees didn't like as it went against all their laws and rules and regulations. We don't really need to strive to find a time to stop and to be still and acknowledge who God is. However, the Sabbath rest is not obsolete. Even through the work of the cross - there remains a resting place for us to enter into if we choose to. We are called to take time to rest and acknowledge the Holiness of God, and that we are His.

We may or may not choose to observe the Sabbath each week, but there remains a place for us to know the rest and love and provision of God in extraordinary ways. We just need to find it from time to time. Striving, doing more, and working things our for ourselves is not our inheritance in Christ. Nor is quarrelling or questioning if God is any good. We enter into the throne room boldly and confidently with thanksgiving and praise.

Psalm 100

Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.

Worship the Lord with gladness;

come before him with joyful songs.

Know that the Lord is God.

It is he who made us, and we are his;

we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.

For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Entering into the throne room of God, and being able to rest for a while and worship his holy name - to settle in and be in awe of just who our Father is, seems more like our inheritance to me!! Let His mercies and grace flow.