Hebrews 4:13-16 NKJV
13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
14 Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.
15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.
16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
When the situations of life become too burdensome, where do you go?
Many of you who will read this blog remember what happened in southwest Florida a week ago. Hurricane Ian came onshore in Fort Myers and the surrounding areas. The storm was catastrophic in its magnitude and devastation. I shared with you last week about having been there just two weeks prior to Hurricane Ian. For many it has left them wondering what to do and where can they find help.
As a Florida Baptist, I am so encouraged that we have people who are a part of Disaster Relief. It is an important part of what we do as a convention in helping people. Yesterday I read what one of the volunteeers said about our disaster relief efforts as Florida Baptists "we do disaster relief so we can tell people about Jesus". That's it, she got it and that is exactly the Biblical principle that needs to permeate what any of us do in life. Let others see Christ in you.
Nature and its power are beyond our comprehension and many time our understanding. The might and fury of it are amazing to observe and can be catastrophic in its wake. That is exactly what we have seen in Hurricane Ian.
A.W. Tozar wrote:
“We cannot think rightly of God until we begin to think of Him as always being there, and there first.”
I believe that it is important for us to understand that God desires to bear our burdens and just in the days after this storm there are many. "To give us the help that we need, He is there" , Tozar wrote, and should be our first option in times of trials and tribulations.
Many might ask “Why God?” “Why go to Him first and only?” I think there are several reasons seen in our text from Hebrews.
When we struggle, we need someone who can relate to our circumstances. The writer in Hebrews said that-
15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.
Jesus faced every type of temptation that we face and never succombed to the temptation. Don't we wish that same could be said of us? You see there are those who even today are questioning God and not trusting God. As if He owes us some explanation when all He says is trust me because I will never leave you.
When we struggle we need someone who knows us. In verse 13 we read that-
13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
There is an important understanding we need to recognize about God. He knows everything and includes the beginning from the end. He knows what is happening and will happen. That is not an ability we have as His people. We can only see what has happened and what is happening now. Sometimes we are able to understand why but as a rule we miss quite often what is occurring and why.
Have you ever said to yourself "if I had only known". God has never and will never say that because He is omniscient, He knows everything. Therefore, He knows when we will get it right and when we will struggle with our faith.
When we struggle, we need someone who wants to do something for us. Have you ever noticed that it always seems to be about us? It's what we want or desire. In verse 16 Scripture tells us-
16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
God has given us access to His throne of grace so we would know Him. Why would we go anywhere else? Where else can we go to have our every need met?
There is a great lesson to be learned from the dictionary. When things start going bad, we often fear they will only get worse. Now “worse” will take us to the “worst”. In order to prevent the “worse” from turning into the “worst”, look at the unique setup God has provided in the English dictionary. Any standard dictionary will separate the words “worse” (and its derivatives) and “worst” with one special word “worship”. When circumstances seem to be slipping in the wrong direction, remember God is there, worship Him. “Worship” is a buffer between “worse” and “worst”.
In closing today, you may want to help people in Florida who are dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Ian. There are many great groups that are helping and do help in disaster relief efforts. One of those is Florida Baptist Disaster Relief and I know personally of their work and who they are and what they can do. I know Elaine and I are giving this week through the church to "Disaster Relief". That money along with others who give will go directly to the Florida Baptist Convention and be used to provide what Disaster Relief needs to minister in these storm damaged areas. You can also give directly to the Florida Baptist Convention by going to flbaptist.org/dr-give/ to give online or for the mailing address of your gift to Disaster Relief.
In God's Grace,
Elbert Nasworthy