On what basis do we place our trust in God when life is difficult and we are worried or fearful? We can trust in God because…
1. Jesus is our great high priest and He is alive. (Heb. 4:14). Sin created a barrier between God and the people, but God designed human priests to be mediators between God and man “to represent the people in matters related to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins” (Hebrews 5:1). Old Testament priests offered animal sacrifices and shed their blood as a substitute for the sins of the people. This priestly system was inadequate, incomplete and temporary because the high priest was himself a sinner and had to offer sacrifices for his own sins as well as the sins of the people.
This whole system pointed forward to something greater, to Someone perfect and complete. It pointed to Jesus Christ, the Son of God, our perfect High Priest. He is both the High Priest and the sacrifice for sin.
Unlike the other high priests that all died, Jesus lived and died and rose from the dead never to die again. That is why the whole Old Testament priesthood system is over. Jesus is the final priest. He is the final mediator between mankind and God because he will never die.
The OT priest entered the temple only once a year. The temple was just a shadow of the true Holy Place in heaven where God dwells. Now Jesus is with God in heaven where He has immediate access to God day and night.
What does this mean for us? Our sin should cause us to have sleepless nights. But God appointed His Son to be the great high priest to be the mediator between us and God and to also have His own body and blood to be the once-for-all sacrifice to take care of our biggest problem – sin.
When God the Father sees His Son’s sacrifice for our sin, He says, “That’s enough. The sin-debt has been paid. Justice has been carried out.” Because God solved our biggest problem – our sin problem – we can trust Him with everything else that we encounter in life.
2. Jesus is able to empathize with our weaknesses. He identifies with us as human beings because he “has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.” (Heb. 4:15). Therefore He can empathize with our weaknesses. He knows the full range of our emotions, our circumstances, our temptations, and our physical exhaustion. He knows. So hold on, don’t give in; help is on the way.
“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” (v. 16). What a wonderful invitation from God! Enter God’s presence. Approach Him, talk to Him, call on Him. And when you call out to God, you will find customized help for whatever you are going through because Jesus knows exactly what you are going through.
Don’t give up, don’t give in, you have good reason to trust in God. Hold firmly to faith. Don’t let go of God. Help is on the way. Answers will come just in time. Help will come just in time. Trust in God.
Instead of letting go of God, let go of your own understanding of what you think God is doing or not doing. Let go of your conclusions. Hold firmly to faith in God. “Lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight’ (Proverbs 3:5-6).