The Throne of God

(James 5:15-18)

The river that flows from the throne of God includes true authority.  That authority is never separated from His life, His love, and is only found in the Holy Spirit.  The throne is a symbol of authority.  While these words may seem to limit this authority, that is not the case.  The authority is available to whomever will receive Jesus Christ.  Whoever receives Him, receives the authority to become children of God.  That word, authority, in John 1, is translated in our Bibles as different words such as, power, or right.  The basis and truth of the gospel is simple and beautiful.  We receive Jesus, we welcome Him into our lives, and we are brought to the throne of grace.

It is a throne where we obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.  Jesus walked in full authority here on the earth and it was publically displayed for 3-1/2 years. Authority was displayed with grace and truth.  By it, He healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, raised the dead, and proclaimed the kingdom of God.  Over the course of those 3-1/2 years, no one really heard the message, not one truly understood.  It took the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.  They saw pieces of the truth but they did not believe every word He spoke.  He told them that His death was coming and that He would be raised up again.  Did they not hear the words?  Later they remembered.  Jesus said that when the Spirit came, He would lead them into all truth.

Consider what Jesus said concerning the Gentiles.  He said that they would come from the East and the West and sit at the table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and the sons of the kingdom would be cast into outer darkness.  Only after that baptism of the Spirit did they understand, and then it took the conversion of Saul to Paul, and a vision given to Peter to go to Cornelius’ house.  Remember Jesus words in the synagogue in Galilee right after He read those awesome words from Isaiah, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me  . . . .”  He cautioned them that He would not be received, as it was with Elijah and others, as God found one worthy outside of the “Israel” of their day.  They were not, and are not, all Israel who are called Israel.

Jesus knew that Israel was to be a light to the Gentiles.  He is the fulfillment of that desire, that decree of the living God.  As He said, “I am the light of the world.”  He often used that phrase, “I AM.”  He is our faithful, high priest, seated at the right hand of God, ever interceding for us.  In His place of authority, He is praying always, according to the will of God.  If we get near enough we can hear what He prays.  It may take a while, some time, some effort born of a true heart, moved and drawn by His own Spirit, to hear His prayer.  I mostly understand it to be like John 17, a desire to draw us to Himself to behold His glory and be changed to be more and more like Himself.  When that is finished, the bride will be ready and the consummation will be upon us.

The throne is the source of the river, the Holy Spirit, the messenger of the covenant, who is refining His body, preparing it like the eunuchs who attended Esther.  He gives wisdom like Mordecai, and like the eunuch who told her how to prepare and dress to be fit for the king.  And what was Esther’s place in time, what was she in the king’s house for?  To intercede for her people so they would be saved from the evil schemes of deep wickedness in high places.  She appealed to the king and Haman caused his own destruction.  Let this same mind be in us.  True authority is directed back to, and does not operate apart from, the One who gave it.

So let us all, everyone who has a heart and mind attuned to Him, draw near to the throne of grace for whatever we need.  It is all based on His abundant grace.  It is this which enables us to stand before Him.  When Daniel saw Him, in His glory, he fell on his face like a dead man.  John had the same type of experience.  As others today have spoken publically of such experiences, the same yet happens.  The strength of God, by His Spirit, caused them to stand on their feet.

You may say that such does not happen today.  It is beyond the experience of many of us but it does indeed happen, whenever God so draws a man, or woman, close and they draw near.  These are not people who are looking for a spiritual thrill.  They are like Daniel, Isaiah, the prophets, and like John, the one whom Jesus loved.  We should not forget Stephen, who focusing upon heaven saw the Son stand to welcome him.  The Lord has always had some like this.

The words of the reference in James are not idle words.  Elijah was no more qualified than those of us who will seek His face in a secret place, in obscurity, until the day He would thrust us out to face an Ahab, and declare what the Spirit indicates.  This Elijah did because He came to the place where he stood before the throne of grace, and received authority to confront one who had corrupted his own place of authority.  In the same way, let us continue to draw ever closer to that same throne and know such authority.  The earth, and people, are crying and groaning for it.