Our Daily Bread -- Lord, Help!

June 2, 2016

Read: Hebrews 4:14-16
Bible in a Year: 2 Chronicles 17-18; John 13:1-20

Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. —Hebrews 4:16

I was so happy for my friend when she told me she was going to be a mum! Together we counted the days until the birth. But when the baby suffered a brain injury during delivery, my heart broke and I didn’t know how to pray. All I knew was who I should pray to—God. He is our Father, and He hears us when we call.

I knew that God was capable of miracles. He brought Jairus’s daughter back to life (Luke 8:49-55) and in so doing also healed the girl of whatever disease had robbed her of life. So I asked Him to bring healing for my friend’s baby too.

But what if God doesn’t heal? I wondered. Surely He doesn’t lack the power. Could it be He doesn’t care? I thought of Jesus’s suffering on the cross and the explanation that “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8). Then I remembered the questions of Job and how he learned to see the wisdom of God as shown in the creation around him (Job 38-39).

Slowly I saw how God calls us to Him in the details of our lives. In God’s grace, my friend and I learned together what it means to call on the Lord and to trust Him—whatever the outcome. —Poh Fang Chia

Lord, to whom can I go but You! I trust You with my life and the lives of my loved ones. I’m grateful You always hear my cry.

When life knocks you down, you’re in the perfect position to pray!

INSIGHT: The writer of Hebrews refers to Jesus as our Great High Priest. This concept can be difficult to understand when we are so distanced from the religion of ancient Israel. The high priest was the single representative who could enter the Holy of Holies and the presence of God to offer sacrifices for the sins of the people. Even though the Word of God exposes our sin (Heb. 4:12-13), we can still confidently come to God because Jesus, our High Priest, has offered Himself as the sacrifice for our sins. The mercy and grace we receive (v. 16) is the forgiveness of our sins. J.R. Hudberg

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