All We Have To Do Is Ask!
All We Have To Do Is Ask!
Just think of it! Mercy and grace are both available for the asking, when we approach the throne of grace. Indeed, we are exhorted to draw near “fearlessly and confidently and boldly” (Heb. 4:14-16 AMP ) to receive them. When we pause to reflect upon their significance we may be surprised to learn that they represent all that a believer needs when he is in distress of any kind.
A story is told of an old Puritan preacher who prayed to the Lord to either lighten his load or strengthen his back. Lightening the load is tantamount to God showing mercy; strengthening the back is equivalent to God giving grace. Can we think of any distressing experience in life when either the one or the other would not meet the need?
When Epaphroditus was “sick almost unto death,” Paul wrote, “But God had mercy on him; and not only on him only but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow” (Phil. 2:27 NKJV). Here we have an instance of where the Lord deemed the burden of His servant so great that relief could only adequately be given by lightening the load.
On another occasion, when Paul felt overburdened by what was probably some physical infirmity (such as you and I might have) he asked the Lord three times to remove it. The reply he received was, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor. 12:9). Here we have a case where the Lord considered it in Paul’s best interest to strengthen his back.
Like Paul, Epaphroditus, and the psalmist before them, we too may find that “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Ps. 46:1). The mercy seat and the throne of grace are places where we may obtain all the help suited to our need. All we have to do is ask!
By B. D. F. Pullen