only Mediator between God and humanity.
repentance and say, Father, I have sinned, and though he may feel unworthy to be called a son, he can still humbly and boldly call Him Father. When Ephraim bemoans himself as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke, God bemoans him as a dear son, as a pleasant child (Jeremiah 31:18-20). If God is not ashamed of this relationship, let us not be afraid to embrace it.
3. Direct your prayer to Him in heaven. This is what our Saviour taught us in the preface to the Lord's Prayer: Our Father which art in heaven. This does not mean that He is confined to the heavens, for the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain Him. However, He is said to have prepared His throne there—not only His throne of governance, from which His kingdom ruleth over all, but also His throne of grace, to which we are called to draw near in faith. We must regard Him as the God of heaven, in contrast to the gods of the heathen, who dwell in temples made with hands. Heaven is a high place, and we must approach Him as a God infinitely above us. It is the fountain of light, and we must come to Him as the Father of lights. Heaven is a place of perspective, and we must recognise His all-seeing eye upon us, beholding all the children of men. It is a place of purity, and in prayer, we must acknowledge Him as a holy God and give thanks at the remembrance of His holiness. Heaven is the firmament of His power, and we must depend on Him as the One to whom power belongs. When our Lord Jesus prayed, He lifted His eyes to heaven, directing us to expect the blessings we need from above.
4. Direct your letter to be entrusted to the Lord Jesus, the only Mediator between God and humanity. Your prayer will surely fail if it is not placed in His hands. He is the other angel who adds much incense to the prayers of the
saints, making them fragrant before presenting them to the Father (Revelation 8:3).
What we ask of the Father must be in His name, and what we expect from the Father must come by His hand. He is the High Priest of our profession, ordained to offer gifts on our behalf (Hebrews 5:1). Address your prayer to be left with Him, and He will deliver it with care and speed, making our service acceptable. The poet George Herbert, in his work The Bag, movingly describes the wound in Christ's side as He hung on the cross, portraying Him as speaking thus to all believers as He ascends to heaven.
If you have anything to send or write,
I have no bag, but here is room.
Unto my Father's hands and sight,
Believe me, it shall safely come.
That I shall mind what you impart;
Look, you may put it very near my heart.
Or, if hereafter any of my friends
Will use me in this way, the door
Shall always be open. What he sends,
I will present, and something more.
Not to his harm; sighs will convey
Anything to me; listen—despair, away.