Chapter Two
Before the Throne
Every time you pray—it’s you, plus THREE.
Have you ever struggled with Who to address when you pray? Jesus, Himself, taught us to say, "Our Father…" and it has become a comfortable way to address our God--and it should be. But I found that I often failed to recognize that it is through the power of the Holy Spirit that I come before the Throne of God, and it is by the blood of Jesus that I have access at all. When I enter into prayer, now, I always take a moment to "see" each supernatural encounter as the Servant Girl first saw it. Like the Servant Girl approaching the Throne of Grace for the first time, may we always be reminded that we are in the presence of our King. May we never forget that God, the Holy Spirit escorts us to the Throne Room; that God, the Father sits in majesty on His Throne, and that God, the Son, sits at His right hand…every single time we pray. May I never forget the Trinitarian aspect of my God. It's me plus three in every encounter I have with Him.
Trembling before Him is a logical response.
In 1963, just months before our world was shaken by a national tragedy in Dallas, Texas, a playful photo was snapped of baby John Jr., or “John John” as he was called back then. The bittersweet image is of a day like any other day. There you spy a mischievous little boy who is caught peeking tentatively from beneath the massive wooden desk that sits in the oval office. Seated behind the desk is the President of the most powerful nation on earth, but to the oblivious toddler, the man is simply, “Daddy.”
Like a playful child, we are capable of exploring our world safe in the knowledge that we are at the feet of our “Daddy;” our own “Abba” and Father. That precious relationship is ours for eternity. But even children of earthly Kings grow up and eventually develop an understanding of the power wielded by their fathers. In the same way, maturing Christians must learn that while God is, and always will be our Father, He is also the Holy, Sovereign, All-Powerful, All-Knowing, Unchanging, Creator and Sustainer of the Universe. Do we truly understand the privilege we have been gifted with—to come boldly before the Throne as sons and daughters of The Almighty? He is our Father, but He is so much more than that. Read the accounts of Old and New Testament saints. Those that God used most powerfully did not treat their encounters with Him casually or lightly. They were moved to remove their sandals and to lie prostrate, trembling, before their God—and He was their Father, too. That did not change the fact that He was also their King. Do we truly believe in our hearts that our prayers are actual spiritual encounters with Jehovah? If so, why should our response be any different than theirs?
Spurgeon says: " My Soul, be sure that when you draw near to the Omnipotent, who is as a consuming fire, you take your shoes from off your feet, and worship Him with lowliest humility. He is the most Holy of all kings. His Throne is a great white Throne, unspotted, and clear as crystal. And you, a sinful creature, with what lowliness should you draw near to Him? Familiarity there may be, but let it not be unhallowed. Boldness there should be, but let it not be impertinent.. My Brethren, I am afraid we do not bow as we should before the Eternal Majesty! But from now on, let us ask the Spirit of God to put us in a right frame of mind, that every one of our prayers may be a reverential approach to the Infinite Majesty above."
If you truly believe that God is who He says He is, trembling before Him is a logical response.
Take heart, you stand before the Throne of Grace.
Ding Dong! The door bell chimes and your head whirls around taking in the chaos around you. The guests are here already! Where did the day go? You’ve been dashing around madly since you leapt from your bed this morning, putting out fires, responding to little emergencies, and now company has arrived and the house is still a mess! Quickly you run from room to room turning the lights down low hoping that no one will see the thick dust caked on the furniture or the scuffs on the unwashed floor. You manage to greet your friends, lead them through semi-darkness to their seats and for a few brief moments think you might get away with it. Then your husband enters the room, snapping the bright lights on saying, “Why is it so dark in here?” Your filth is exposed and you shrink into a corner swearing you’ll never entertain again (and you consider where you can dispose of your husband’s body so it will never be found).
Having a beacon of light shine on the dirt in your house is not fun, but eventually you get over it and can even laugh about the above scenario. When God shines His powerful light in the corners of our hearts, though, it is another matter. The pain and shame we experience when God’s truth reveals our own sinful nature can be devastating. I remember hearing a recording of an old sermon about a revival in Scotland. The preacher in his aging brogue was telling the story of a young woman who was a graduate of Aberdeen University. Overcome by her encounter with the bright, Holy light of God, and the revelation of her own dark sin, she lay at the foot of the pulpit in the church crying over and over, “Is there mercy for me? Is there mercy for me? Is there mercy for me?” Her desperate prayer was answered in the same way that the Servant Girl’s plea was. What a glorious thing to learn of God’s mercy and grace! Though we deserve to pay the price for our sin, through the grace of God, and the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus, the Throne of Judgment is not where we meet Him. In our prayers we are instead led to that precious Throne of Grace!
Charles Spurgeon says, " Suppose I come to the Throne of Grace with the burden of my sins. There is One on the Throne who felt the burden of sin in ages long gone by, and has not forgotten its weight. Suppose I come loaded with sorrow. There is One there who knows all the sorrows to which humanity can be subjected. Am I depressed and distressed? Do I fear that God Himself has forsaken me? There is One upon the Throne who said, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” It is a Throne from which Grace delights to look upon the miseries of mankind with tender eyes, to consider them and to relieve them. Come, then! Come, then! Come, then, you that are not only poor, but wretched—whose miseries make you long for death—and yet dread it. You captive ones, come in your chains! You slaves, come with the irons upon your souls! You who sit in darkness, come forth all blindfold as you are… God delights to make His Grace glorious."
Thank God for glorious Grace!
Weep grateful tears.
Full of remorse, the weeping woman came to Jesus. As her tears bathed His feet, she wiped them with her own hair. She took the costly perfume, and breaking the alabaster jar, she presented her offering to Him. She knew only that ‘at His feet’ is where she belonged, and it is the fitting place for all penitent children. The fragrance of her sacrifice pleased her Lord, in the same way that the aroma of incense rose to heaven from the golden altar consecrated for the holy work of Aaron and his sons in the ancient tabernacle. Our broken hearts also release fragrant prayers that rise to our Savior as we take our rightful place ‘at His feet.’ The Servant Girl found love, mercy, grace and forgiveness there, and we can too. Go ahead. Weep grateful tears. You are bought and paid for--redeemed! You belong to Him…and mercy, grace and forgiveness belong to you.
Dare to dream the dreams He dreams, for it is as good as a promise fulfilled.
God's word tells us that if we "delight ourselves in the Lord" then He will give us the desires of our heart. If we are practicing Holy Spirit led prayer, then we are allowing God to plant His desires for us in our hearts. His dreams become our dreams. Spurgeon says, "If my prayer were my own prayer, I might not be so sure of it. But if the prayer which I utter is God’s own prayer written on my soul, God is always One with Himself—and what He writes on the heart is only written there because it is written in His purposes. When God’s people pray, it is because the blessing is coming and their prayers are the shadow of the coming blessing!"
The Servant Girl didn't understand that Her dream of a real relationship with her King was placed there by The King Himself, because He intended to fulfill it. How thrilling to be one with God when it comes to the desires of our heart, for if He put those desires the
re, He surely intends to fulfill them. Do we dare to dream them? To walk forward in the assurance of them? Do we dare?