A Grasp on God

In the book of Hebrews, in chapter 4 and verse 14, we read, Seeing then that we have a great high priest that is passed into the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. That term, hold fast, in the Greek is the word krytaio, and it means to take the hand of someone, to lay hold on, to hold fast to someone, as in faith, to hold on to Christ. Now that imagery brings to my mind Jacob wrestling with the angel in Genesis 32, 26, where the angel states, Let me go, for the day breaketh.

And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. And in Hosea 12, 4, it speaks of this as well, friends. Yea, he had power over the angel and prevailed.

Picture that, friends, this concept of holding fast to God. When I read that passage about Jacob wrestling with God in prayer, so to speak, it's pretty remarkable to have a grasp on God like that. Moody had it.

Whitfield had it. David Brainerd had it. John Sung had it.

It's available to us as well. And our text in Hebrews speaks of the ascended Christ gone back into heaven, where he sits at the right hand of the Father. Incredible as it sounds, make an intercession for us.

We are to hold fast unto him, unto our profession, faith in him. Nothing or no one can come between us and him. Our grasp on God must be firm, secure, persevering.

We are kept by him. A pastor ran into an old elder of his church in Scotland and greeted him by saying, How are you keeping? To which the elder replied, Keeping? I'm better than that, my friend. I'm kept.

And in our passage from Hebrews, we are told to hold fast our profession, that we too can be like Jacob of old and have power with God as well. Look at the next two verses. For we have not a high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. That's a colloquial saying, friends, that really means that our help from God will come just in the nick of time. Mercy means compassion, an act of pity.

Our text says we may obtain it. Grace means a gift, a favor, a blessing. Our text says we can find it in Him, in Jesus, the Son, who sits by the Father, in advocacy on our behalf.

But we must be active in our part as well and hold fast to Him. I believe, friends, we can have as much of God as we want. To have a grasp on God like Moody or Whitefield is available to us.

God is looking for faith. Are we engaged in wrestling prayer? Are we cleaving and clinging to Him in bold faith with such a fast hold upon Him that we too won't let go except He bless us, that we will obtain mercy and find grace? I believe to have a good grasp of the Word of God, we must have a good grasp on the God of the Word. The injunction is to hold on, hang on, keep on looking at Him, the author and finisher of our faith.

Let us pray.