Always eligible for grace

As I read the part about Mephibosheth in this passage, his words to David struck me.

Apparently, Mephibosheth’s servant had wrongfully accused him of turning on David when David was fleeing for his life from Absalom.

But after offering his defense, and knowing he couldn’t prove his servant’s lies, he basically told David to do as he saw best, saying,

For my grandfather’s entire family deserves death from my lord the king, but you set your servant among those who eat at your table.

So what further right do I have to keep on making appeals to the king? (2 Samuel 19:28)

Those words are striking to me.

We too deserved nothing but death from God because of our sins. And yet, God has welcomed us into his house, not just as servants, but as sons and daughters, and one day we will dine at his table in glory.

But let us always remember that when bad things happen to us, whether through our own fault or not, we always have the right to keep coming to our King and making our appeals to him.

Why? Because he is not just our King, but our loving Father. And he never tires of seeing us or hearing our requests.

As Paul said,

He did not even spare his own Son but offered him up for us all. How will he not also with him grant us everything? (Romans 8:32)

This doesn’t mean of course, that God will grant us everything we ask. After all, sometimes we ask for “snakes and rocks” thinking they are “fish and bread.” And God only gives us good gifts.

But we are always eligible to receive his grace and to come to him with our requests.

So as the writer of Hebrews says,

Therefore, let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in time of need. (Hebrews 4:16)