Pray with Confidence

The author in Hebrews 4 tells his readers they have a new high priest. The high priest played a significant role in Judaism. He was the middleman between God and his people. He entered the Holy of Holies and offered sacrifices for sin on behalf of the people. He represented the people before God. The author of Hebrews wants his readers to understand that Jesus now fills that role.

Not only is Jesus our “high priest,” but he is uniquely able to empathize with us in our weakness. Jesus was human and experienced pain and suffering just like we do. He was betrayed by a close friend and rejected by the religious establishment. He expressed anger at the temple and grief over the death of a friend. His grief over dying was so great that he even sweated blood in the garden of Gethsemane.

God, through Jesus, knows what we are going through because he has gone through the same things. He has felt the same emotions and empathizes with us. He sees, hears, feels and knows what we are going through. Because of this, we can approach him with confidence, knowing he may not give us all we want but will give us what we need.