“…he always lives to intercede….” (Hebrews 7:25)
Dear friends,
“Immanuel – God with us” will be on our lips and in our minds a great deal during this Advent and Christmas season. What an awe-inspiring statement! The one and only, eternal and almighty Creator God is, in the person of Jesus Christ with US! For sure, he came among us at his incarnation some two millennia ago but in what practical ways is he with us still today, every day? Let us reflect on just one aspect of that: “…because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.” (Heb 7:24,25).
Are you experiencing opposition on account of your faith, or facing enmity in some other way? Fear not, for Christ is, right now, interceding for you. As the Puritan, Isaac Ambrose, wrote: “It may be he allows people to be merciless on earth, that you may look up, and see how merciful is the one who sits above”.
Are you facing temptation and even finding it hard to pray? And when you do pray do you find your prayers lack vitality and zeal? Do not despair. “…the Spirit (i.e. of Jesus) helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express”. (Romans 8:26)
And what about sin within – that constant battle with bad habits or unrighteous anger, pride, envy, greed and so on? Our Saviour Jesus is with us but he has also sat down at the right hand of God (Hebrews 10:12), the position of power, authority, victory. Verse 13 goes on to declare: “Since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool”; “and”, says Isaac Ambrose again, “are not your sins his enemies?”.
“Emmanuel – God is with us” in grace and mercy and in power and victory.
Your brother in Christ,
