The Mercy Seat, by Cheryl Lutz

 

“And there I will meet with you, and I will speak with you from above the mercy seat…” Exodus 25:22

I was gasping for breath as I felt the current pulling me under.  I struggled hard against the waves, which only made matters worse.  I frantically pushed forward, only to be sucked further out.  I was fighting a force stronger than myself.  Undertow.  Scenes of my life truly played out in my mind.  Finally, I began to cry out to the one who has the power over the wind and the waves. He heard my cries and the next thing I remember was moving in closer and closer to shore.  I was in middle school swimming in the surf in Corpus Christi, Texas, when this terrifying event occurred. 

 

If you are a Christian, prayer is one of your greatest privileges.  So why don't we spend more time at the mercy seat?  Prayer is one of our greatest weapons against the attacks of the evil one, so why do we spend so little time on our knees?  I say, because prayer is WORK!  I love this quote by E.M. Bounds, regarding this essential discipline.

"To say prayers in a decent, delicate way is not heavy work.  But to pray till the iron gates of difficulty are opened, till the mountains of obstacles are removed, till the mists are exhaled and the clouds are lifted, and the sunshine of a cloudless day brightens---this is hard work, but it is God's work and man's best labor."

Friends, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords invites us into His presence through the precious blood of Jesus.  Will we come? 

We must first find out what the mystery hidden in the mercy seat is. "Once a year, the High Priest took the blood of a sacrificial offering and entered into the Most Holy. He then sprinkled this blood of the sacrificial offering on the mercy seat for exactly seven times. God said that He would meet the Israelites on this mercy seat then. God meets whoever has the same faith as that of the High Priest, that is, the faith in His remission of sin revealed in the sacrificial system." Rev. Paul C. Jong

Do you have "iron gates of difficulty" in your life?  How about "mountains of obstacles?"  

Do you believe that the One who parted the Red Sea can do the same in your circumstances?

I close with a stanza of another of my favorite hymns:

“Ah! whither could we flee for aid, When tempted, desolate, dismayed;

Or how the hosts of hell defeat, Had suffering saints no mercy seat?”

Through Every Stormy Wind that Blows, William Cooper

So what are you waiting for?  You don’t have to wait until you are drowning in your circumstances! Enter now into the throne room of heaven.  Access is ours through the blood of Jesus. 

Hallelujah, what a Savior! 

Cheryl Lutz is passionate to teach women how to tear down strongholds and find freedom in Christ. A pastor’s wife for twenty-five years, Cheryl possesses a vibrant love for teaching the Word of God. She is the founder of Securely Held, LLC, where she works as a trained and experienced lay counselor and speaker. You may contact Cheryl through her blog at:www.securelyheld.com Twitter: @clutz40

Facebook: www.facebook.com/securelyheld