Delivery Options
Let us therefore draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and may find grace to help in time of need Hebrews 4:16
Mercy and Grace – How does God answer your prayers? Does He provide exactly what you asked? Or does He give precisely what you really need? Sometimes there is a big difference between these two options. The author of Hebrews reminds us that God’s answer in troubled times always contains two essential ingredients: mercy and grace. No matter what we think we must have, no matter what details God does provide, these two things are always present. Without them, no answer arrives.
Why mercy and grace? Because I need full judgment withheld and I need all forgiveness applied.
Mercy (eleos) is remission of the full consequences of sin. Mercy is about judgment. If I stood in a court of law, ready to be sentenced, I would plead for mercy, not because I deserved it but because mercy demonstrates the compassionate heart of the Judge. I would beg to have the sentence removed or reduced. Since you and I stand guilty before the throne of the Judge of all mankind, we are in desperate need of mercy. “Lord, please remove this deserved punishment.” In times of trouble, what we want most of all is to have the consequences that are about to befall us lifted away. That is mercy. And that is what God delivers.
In contrast, grace (charis) is God’s display of the free gift of forgiveness. Grace removes not the consequences but the guilt. The author of Hebrews makes an implied assumption. My times of trouble have something to do with guilt. That’s why I need grace and mercy. It’s no good to have the consequences alleviated if I can’t deal with the guilt that caused them. When life is really a mess, I need both forgiveness and remission.
Did you notice that both are given to me? I don’t earn either one. I receive them. My prayer is not, “Lord, help me to win Your favor so that my life can get straightened out.” My prayer is, “Lord, remember Your compassion toward me. Forgive me and grant me remission from the consequences.”
Exactly how God takes care of mercy and grace in your times of trouble is entirely up to Him. Prayer for timely help is not prayer that specifies how God must act, but rather prayer that trusts God will act. The “how” is His to determine.
Sometimes it appears as though God does not remove the consequences. Things don’t seem to get better. Chronos time carries the consequences forward, day after day. But God operates in kairos time. He removes all the consequences that are unnecessary to accomplish His perfect plan in our lives. We are spared the entire range of evil results. What remains serves His purposes. And for that, we are content. Aren’t we?
