Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may find grace for a well-timed help. ( Hebrews 4:16 16 Let us therefore draw near with boldness unto the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy, and may find grace to help `us' in time of need. , literal translation)

All ministry is in the future — a moment away, or a month, or a year, or a decade. We have ample time to fret about our inadequacy. When this happens, we must turn to prayer.

Prayer is the form of faith that connects us today with the grace that will make us adequate for tomorrow’s ministry. Timing is everything.

What if grace comes too early or comes too late? The traditional translation of Hebrews 4:16 16 Let us therefore draw near with boldness unto the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy, and may find grace to help `us' in time of need. hides from us a very precious promise in this regard. We need a more literal rendering to see it.

The more traditional wording goes like this: “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.” The Greek original behind the phrase “grace to help in time of need” would be translated literally, “grace for a well-timed help.”

The point is that prayer is the way to find future grace for a well-timed help. This grace always arrives from the “throne of grace” on time. The phrase “throne of grace” means that future grace comes from the King of the universe who sets the times by his own authority ( Acts 1:7 7 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know times or seasons, which the Father hath set within His own authority. ).

His timing is perfect, but it is rarely ours: “For a thousand years in [his] sight are but as yesterday when it is past” ( Psalms 90:4 4 For a thousand years in thy sight Are but as yesterday when it is past, And as a watch in the night. ). At the global level, he sets the times for nations to rise and fall ( Acts 17:26 26 and he made of one every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, having determined `their' appointed seasons, and the bounds of their habitation; ). And at the personal level, “My times are in [his] hand” ( Psalms 31:15 15 My times are in thy hand: Deliver me from the hand of mine enemies, and from them that persecute me. ).

When we wonder about the timing of future grace, we must think on the “throne of grace.” Nothing can hinder God’s plan to send grace when it will be best for us. Future grace is always well-timed.