The Throne Of Grace

"It is altogether right when our humiliation draws us to the Lord and our conscious need drives us to the throne of Grace."
                                                    Charles Spurgeon




As this is Easter week, churches around the globe will remember the Gospel stories of the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ. People will fill the pews of of every denomination to honor and reverence the life and story of Jesus. Sincere hearts will flock in droves to be a part of something that they know is bigger than themselves and has the utmost significance and purpose. Easter outfits will be purchased and the families will gather together to honor the Lord.

What is most often reflected upon during this time is the physical anguish that Jesus experienced during His crucifixion, followed quickly by the victory and celebration that occurred shortly thereafter.  However, often we miss the significance of the emotional suffering that He experienced in the Garden of Gethsemane. And, it was this emotional pain that vexed His soul just as much as the physical pain wracked His failing body. This was His one-two punch as He physically exited our world.

The reason I think this is especially poignant this year is that I know many people in the body of Christ who are hurting emotionally. And, I believe that it is outlined in Matthew 26 for us of how Jesus handled and stewarded these intense emotions that can be helpful for its today. He beautifully gives us an example of what we are to do when our emotions are running deep and we are not quite sure what we should do with them.

First and foremost, Jesus ran to the throne room of grace. Three times, He boldly went to His Father while He was in the Garden of Gethsemane. Even though He had taken Peter, James, and John with Him to be a support, they had fallen asleep and were no support for Him at all. The only One who was truly there for Him during His duress was His Heavenly Father. And, it was during Jesus' weakest moments that He relied the most heavily on the One who would never turn Him away or let Him down.

He stewarded His emotions in this extreme trial by using emotional wisdom in dealing with all the feelings that were in His "heart". The book of Proverbs tells us that the "heart" is the control center of our souls. Our hearts are filled with emotions because we are made in the image of God. We are not to deny them or diminish them if we are to live lives that wholly glorify our God. And yet, we are to acknowledge them and steward them well.

Our emotions are affected by our mental, physical, and spiritual well-being. Our hearts can become threatened (Proverbs 13:12) when the answers to our prayers are delayed or even denied. This is when we lose our hope and become convinced that we will never experience our deliverance or our desired blessings. This verse goes on to say that "when the desire comes [again], it is a tree of life". This desire can only be restored when we boldly go to the throne room of grace and it is there that God will give us fresh assurances and new promises for us to believe in once again.

The name of the Garden of Gethsemane literally means an "oil press". It is during these times of pressing that God brings out of us all that lies deep within our hearts. Some of it will be good, and some of it will not be so good. It is human nature to try to focus only on the good, but it is when we allow the Holy Spirit to work within us removing what is rancid that we will be fully restored. This is not an easy process. While Jesus was God and had known no sin, He even cried out in a loud voice His "soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death" (Matthew 26:38) during His pressing.

Jesus knew everything that was about to happen to Him, and yet He chose to make Himself vulnerable. That was His price of love for us that He was willing to pay. And, when we do this for the sake of others, it is likewise displaying the very love of Christ. Especially in a culture that scoffs at and mocks weakness and vulnerability. However, found embedded within this vulnerability is the ability to find our voice and passion that God has placed within us.

Even in His darkest hour, Jesus did not run from His feelings and emotions. He did not push them down. He did not deny that they existed. Instead, He learned to sit with them and become comfortable with them. Previously, Jesus had prophesied both the denial of Peter and the betrayal of Judas. It was now that He chose solitude and prayer to process all the events that had unfolded as they celebrated the Passover (Matthew 26:36).

After He approached the throne room of grace, Jesus then shared His emotions and specific prayer requests with Peter, James, and John, whom He trusted (Matthew 26:37). Note that He did not share them with anyone that He could not trust. And, even though He knew that Peter was flawed and would still deny Him, He also knew that Peter would repent and become one of His most loyal followers, even to the point of death.

Jesus continually went back to His Father and entrusted all His emotions to Him over and over. He even asked for the cup to pass to pass from Him if it was God's will (Matthew 26:39; 42). He repeated this as often as it was necessary to obtain peace and receive God's comfort.

Then, Jesus rested in the finality of God's decision and chose to move forward to accomplish God's purposes in His life. This was not an easy decision and He did not take lightly the process that was involved for Him to get to this place of unconditional trust. However, Jesus focused on the new truths that God had set before Him, and that could only be done by spending time in His Father's presence.

So today if you are feeling the weight and intensity of any emotional duress and agony, think about the way that Jesus modeled for us to steward our emotions well. While it is common in the church today for people to say that our wrestling is a lack of faith or a moral weakness, I would declare quite the opposite. In fact, I would say that it is within these seasons of wrestling and searching for our answers, that it becomes the very catalyst that God will use to catapult us into our destinies in Christ! Therefore, sweet friends, run boldly to the throne room of grace! This is where you will find mercy in your time of need!

                                           HAVE A VERY BLESSED EASTER!