A Prayer for Lenten Boldness
By Meg Bucher
“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 4:16 NLT
“Did I blow it?” It’s a question I’ve asked several times in my life. On the cusp of something great when the bottom falls out. Allowing fear to take over. Letting anger get in my way. Interrupting instead of listening. We’ve all been stuck enough to ask the question, “did I blow it?”
Missed chances and mess-ups are a part of life. The worst thing we can do is ruminate. God is in control, and He’s well aware of our imperfections. If we were capable of walking out His will for our lives, He wouldn’t have sent Jesus to make way for us. The author of Hebrews advised us to come boldly to the throne of our gracious God, not arrogantly. Arrogance is an offensive display of superiority or self-importance; overbearing pride. Boldness is a lack of hesitation or fear in the face of risk or danger; courage. It’s a refusal to be held back by the opinion or judgement of others. (dictionary.com) Boldness realizes who we are in the light of who Christ is.
“So then, 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 the same testings we do, yet he did not sin.” Hebrews 4:14-15 NLT
This Lenten Season, let us cling to Christ, realizing we are free to enjoy the fullness of life through His sacrifice.
Let’s pray:
Father,
Thank you for these encouraging verses today. You are faithful to lift us up when we are stuck in doubt, and discouraged by our mistakes and imperfections. When our sinful nature trips us up, God, thank You for reminding us You are still in control. Thankfully, we are not! We cling to Christ today, God, holding firmly to our belief in Him. We know He understands our weaknesses, for he faced all the same temptations and tests we do daily …yet, He did not sin. Father, thank You for sending Jesus to save us. Thank You for giving us a Friend who empathizes with us, truly, knows how we feel, and meets us with overwhelming compassion. It is through Christ Jesus we come boldly to Your throne, God. We need Your grace. It is through the Holy Spirit alive and active in us we are able to be bold enough to come to You! Realizing our need for grace, forgiveness, power, and strength to walk in Your will! We come to You, today, God of grace and mercy because we need You. We need grace, mercy, forgiveness, compassion, and strength. On our own, we are incapable of walking in Your will. As the author of Hebrews wrote, we come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive Your mercy and find grace to help us when we need it most.
Father, thank You for knowing when we need Your mercy the most. Thank You for watching over us so particularly and compassionately. You love us for who we are …right now …and we are so grateful for Your grace and kindness. Lead us to Your will for this day, and our lives, Father. Help us to understand the depth of Your mercy and grace as we prepare to reflect on Jesus’ crucifixion …and resurrection. Bring Your Light into focus in our lives, and Your Truth to the top of our minds. when we are struggling, and when we are experiencing victories in this life. Father, we look forward to joining You for eternity, when we will no longer be bound by sin or experience sadness and pain. But until then, we rely on You fully. We cling to Christ Jesus, our great High Priest, Your Son, holding firmly to what we believe. Jesus, You are our friend. We are thankful You meet us in our weaknesses and relate to the testings we endure daily. We come boldly to Your Father’s throne through You. Thank You for Your sacrifice, faithfulness, compassion, love, life, light, truth …and faithful friendship.
We pray in Name of our Great High Priest, Amen.
Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/Tinnakorn Jorruang
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