I was pondering a line from an old spiritual song that goes, “Long as I live when troubles rise, I’ll hasten to His throne.” Those words originally came from the pen of Isaac Watts, a prolific hymn writer, way back in 1806. It made me ask myself, “When trouble rises do I hasten to His throne or hesitate to it?”
When I hesitate, it can be due to any number of things, such as thinking I can handle the situation myself, or feeling ashamed for getting myself in such a mess, or because I’m mad and I don’t want to deal with the trouble in a godly way and I know God is not a fan of my present attitude. Or it could be a sense of futility rooted in the belief that taking it to the Lord won’t make a difference.
There may be many reasons, but the primary cause of hesitating to go to the throne is always that I have forgotten who is on the throne. I don’t mean I’ve forgotten His name, or even that He is there, I’ve forgotten what He’s like and what kind of relationship He has with me.
Life often has “trouble patches” of rough terrain, but the Lord’s relationship with me is a rugged, durable, all-terrain vehicle. He rides with me through it all, not as a judger but as a helper, as a friend and as a navigator whose seen all these troubles before.
When I hesitate, I have forgotten that the throne upon which He sits is one of mercy and grace, not condemnation and judgment. And when I remember who He is, I do indeed hasten to His throne.
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