Helplessness becomes prayer the moment that you go to Jesus and speak candidly and confidently with him about your needs.

                                                                                                      —O. Hallesby

How refreshing. How inviting. For so long I thought that my helplessness was a reason to stay away from God. I thought I needed to be strong,

confident, and full of faith to approach my heavenly Father. I thought I needed to at least suggest a few ways he could answer me—you know, kind of giving God a little advice.

How very wrong I was. It is the helpless, the needy, even the ones who are so low they cannot even mouth a prayer who attract the attention of our Abba. Let’s revisit a favorite passage of mine, and maybe yours as well, Hebrews 4:14-16:

Inasmuch then as we have a great High Priest Who has [already] ascended and passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession [of faith in Him]. For we do not have a High Priest Who is unable to understand and sympathize and have a shared feeling with our weaknesses and infirmities and liability to the assaults of temptation, but One Who has been tempted in every respect as we are, yet without sinning. Let us then fearlessly and confidently and boldly draw near to the throne of grace (the throne of God’s unmerited favor to us sinners), that we may receive mercy [for our failures] and find grace to help in good time for every need [appropriate help and well-timed help, coming just when we need it] (Amplified Version).

Aren’t you awestruck by what is revealed here? Jesus understands our weaknesses, infirmities, and the ongoing assaults of temptations. We are literally invited to come to him in our raw conditions. We can open up to him our pockets of shame and brokenness and allow his love to heal and soothe.

Will you do that right now? Will you quiet your soul and close your eyes? Recall the many places in the gospels where Jesus approached the lame, the blind, and the wounded. In what shameful, broken places do you need to experience his love? Thank him that you can come to the throne of grace in weakness to find grace.