'Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. 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 4:14-16~
Waiting...
The kind that the new fathers do when their wives are delivering their babies. When you saw an attack on the news and you're counting the seconds for your loved one to call you back. Or when you're permanently glued to your inbox, awaiting a reply from that highly anticipated job interview you took. Prisoners awaiting their trial and sentencing.
Waiting is terrible as it gruels and grates on your nerves, the unknown possibilities occupying your headspace, no matter what distractions you try to fill it with. You don't take a full breath until the waiting is over, even if the news you were waiting for is bad. You're just so relieved to finally know.
In these verses of Hebrews, Jesus is called the High Priest who understands our suffering, having experienced it Himself. That means everything; including waiting. Jesus knows what it is to wait. That's what had Him on His knees and weeping in Gethsemane. It's what He felt in the courtyard among the Roman soldiers, and in the courtrooms of Sanhedrin and Pontius Pilate. He went through a lot of waiting, knowing what laid ahead for Him.
Yet, He didn't let it keep His focus from God. He closed His prayer in Gethsemane with 'Not my will, but Thine'. Maybe He was fearful as He said those words, but still, He said them. He knew that they were true and would carry Him through the long hours that were ahead.
God's word is an anchor in many times of trouble and worry. Words that remind us of the One who's in control. The One who loves us. The One who waited to die for us, so that He could welcome us to Him in Heaven!
Waiting is terrible as it gruels and grates on your nerves, the unknown possibilities occupying your headspace, no matter what distractions you try to fill it with. You don't take a full breath until the waiting is over, even if the news you were waiting for is bad. You're just so relieved to finally know.
In these verses of Hebrews, Jesus is called the High Priest who understands our suffering, having experienced it Himself. That means everything; including waiting. Jesus knows what it is to wait. That's what had Him on His knees and weeping in Gethsemane. It's what He felt in the courtyard among the Roman soldiers, and in the courtrooms of Sanhedrin and Pontius Pilate. He went through a lot of waiting, knowing what laid ahead for Him.
Yet, He didn't let it keep His focus from God. He closed His prayer in Gethsemane with 'Not my will, but Thine'. Maybe He was fearful as He said those words, but still, He said them. He knew that they were true and would carry Him through the long hours that were ahead.
God's word is an anchor in many times of trouble and worry. Words that remind us of the One who's in control. The One who loves us. The One who waited to die for us, so that He could welcome us to Him in Heaven!
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