“Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” – Hebrews 4:16
The world we live in loves sports.
That’s why we fill stadiums and spend crazy sums of money to watch our favorite teams compete. We track statistics…we play fantasy sports online…we watch sports channels on TV that do nothing but show the same replays over and over again. And yet, we watch them on repeat because we love sports.
And sports have only grown over time. But do you know what sport came first? The oldest form of organized sport was track and field. In fact, the first-ever Ancient Olympic Games was held in Olympia, Greece in the year 776 BC and included what we would now consider to be a track and field event.
In those games, there was only one contest, the Stadion Footrace. The world came together for this one race: 20 runners competed in a 200-yard sprint. 20 men ran 200 yards, and the winner took the gold.
Have you ever run track? If so, did you love running? Very few people love to run. And the reason is because it hurts. When you run, your side hurts, your chest burns, and your body slowly begins to break down. Running has always been difficult. But in the early 19th century, someone found a way to make it even more challenging…by adding hurdles to the track.
So now, instead of just running your race, fighting through the natural challenges, and walking through the pain, now you’ve got obstacles in your path making it even more difficult for you to finish your race.
Sound familiar? It sounds like LIFE to me. Life is not easy. Like running, life is hard. And like running with hurdles, there are challenges that stand in the way of an already hard task. But that is why God doesn’t want you to go through it alone!
Hebrews 4:16 says, “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
God is close to those who call on Him. Life is hard. But you do not have to do it alone. Let God help you. He will meet you where you are!