Worth Repeating: The Mercy and Grace of Prayer

Hebrews 4:15-16 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

There are many blessings that we have in Christ, among them is the mercy and grace of prayer.  Do you know the difference between mercy and grace?  Grace is unmerited favor - the blessing and kindness and love of God given to us even though we don't deserve it.  Grace tends to get all the publicity these days.  I think it's because grace tells us we're loved in spite of ourselves while mercy reminds us we're sinners who deserve judgment.  Mercy is the withholding of deserved judgment - although we deserve the wrath and justice of God for our sin, He passes over us because we are in Christ Jesus, who is our passover (1 Corinthians 5:7).

One of the miracles of prayer in the New Testament is that we have direct access to the throne of grace, where we obtain both mercy and grace.  In the Lord Jesus, God has made us kings and priests , Revelation 1:6, and a royal priesthood, 1 Peter 2:9.  Because of that we have access to the very throne of God, to the mercy seat in heaven, through our High Priest.  In Old Testament times only the earthy high priest had access to the mercy seat, but now every believer can go directly before the Lord with his or her requests. Philippians 4:6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

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The Thousand Word Project - Red is the Rose

 

Red is the rose that in yonder garden grows,
Fair is the lily of the valley,
Clear is the water that flows from the Boyne,
But my love is fairer than any.

- Traditional Irish ballad -
In memory of my Irish great-grandmother.

Evening Song - Near the Cross

Galatians 6:14 But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world. 

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Texas Memories - Texas Sage

Texas sage tends to bloom after a rain. The flowers are fuzzy, so it can be a little difficult to get them looking in focus. :-)

This beautiful bush as in front of my parents' house. Sadly it died to the ground in the February 2021 deep freeze we had here in Texas. It is slowly trying to make a comeback now. My mom loved this bush, as you can tell from the picture. :-) I'm glad it didn't die off while she was still living.

2 Corinthians 12:9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 

Are you feeling weak? This has been a hot summer for a lot of us in the northern hemisphere and a soggy winter for some in the southern. There is so much trouble and drought and cause for concern around the world these days, it can be exhausting dealing with the daily things in front of us while knowing that so much trouble is brewing in so many ways. But God...

Here are some thoughts on weakness for you to ponder.

Word of the Day: Weakness

Evening Song - Consider the Lilies

Matthew 6:25-34 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. 

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The Thousand Word Project - Living Filigree

 

Mouse gourd flowers. Central Texas.