© Wendy Clark, 2025

Brother Lawrence, in his book The Practice of the Presence of God (p 55), writes something along these lines:

What would it be like for the greatest criminal in the world to dine at the king’s table and be served by him, knowing what he had done to break the king’s laws, but not assured of the king’s pardon? Wouldn’t he feel great uneasiness, great fear and trepidation? He would, of course, unless he knew the great goodness and faithfulness of the king and knew indeed that his debt had already been paid, and his pardon was already accomplished.

This is how we, who have been saved by the blood of Jesus, shed in our place, for our sins, sit at the table of the Lord and celebrate in His presence. The more aware we are of our great debt, the more we rejoice in our great and guaranteed pardon. We do not tremble in the presence of One so holy and great–only because we have experienced His amazing grace and mercy.

Hebrews 10:19-23

“Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that He opened for us through the curtain, that is, through His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.”