“Let us then approach the 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
Let us start our reading by examining the meaning of grace as espoused in the Bible. Grace is described as the unmerited love and mercy given to us by God simply because God desires us to have it.
This is particularly manifested in the salvation of sinners. Therefore salvation is by faith and not by any measure of qualification. It is freely given.
Ephesians 2:8 confirms this saying: “It is by grace you have been saved, through faith and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.”
Since the grace of God are unmerited and devoid of certain qualifications all we need to do therefore is to position ourselves for His blessings by faith.
The Bible says by faith we are saved hence we have to learn to continually exercise our faith to receive the free gifts of God which includes healing, his spiritual and material blessings as well.
Why do we need only our faith to receive the unmerited favors of God? Simply because the gifts are free to all that will receive them and use them. Someone rightly said: “If you don’t deserve them, then you are a prime candidate to receive them”. All you need to do is to believe and then actively exercise your faith to receive. (Hebrews 11:1).
How do we actively exercise our faith?In Hebrews 11:6 we see three keys to receiving by faith from God:
1. We must genuinely, sincerely believe in God.
2. We must believe that God responds to His people and rewards them.
3. To receive God’s rewards, we must diligently seek Him.
Now from the above we see that our faith must be active and not passive when we seek after and position ourselves for the free gifts of God. Because many come to God passively, no wonder they soon give up believing for their heart desires.
In same Hebrews 11 we read that “Anyone who comes to God must believe that he rewards those who earnestly seek Him”.
This speaks to active faith, comparable to the man persistently knocking at midnight (Luke 11:5-10), or like the woman insistently pleading her case before the judge (Luke 18:1-8). The gifts may be free but only those who show intense desire for them eventually receive them.
We seek Him not just for answers to our prayers, but also seeking Him to know Him, to be in His presence. Psalm 105:3-4 further sheds light on seeking the Lord by faith saying “…let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always.” Here we see that the gifts of God are one of the benefits of seeking a relationship with Him.
Jeremiah 29:12-13 equally reinforces the active faith which involves seeking the Lord: “You will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”
Ultimately, as we desire the presence of God his free gifts automatically locates us. As the prophet Azariah told King Asa in 2 Chronicles 15:2: “The LORD is with you when you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you.”
As we position ourselves to seek the face of God the grace that brings along his free gifts comes in the person of the Holy Spirit. When we seek Him, He pours out His gifts into our lives. After all, in His presence there is fullness of joy.
