Imagine for a moment that you find yourself alone before the throne of God. What thoughts race through your mind? How does it make you feel? What is your posture?

Ashamed in His Presence

Simply imagining this scenario immediately turns me into a nervous wreck. I am overwhelmed by fear before my creator. Keenly aware of my deficiencies in light of his glory, I bury my face in my hands out of shame; I can't bear to look upon the Father. My body trembles so violently that I fall to the ground, unable to keep myself composed in front of Him. I cry out in desperation, "Have mercy on me, a sinner!" Crushed under the weight of my guilt, I am embarrassed to be in his presence.

I am before the throne of God above.

A Different Tone

In the middle of the 19th century, Irish-hymn writer Charitie Lees Smith wrote her most celebrated hymn, known today as “Before the Throne of God Above.” Featuring three stanzas and a beautiful melody, the hymn quickly gained popularity and found its way into church services all around the world. Today, over a century-and-a-half later, believers still sing this song to reflect on the experience of being before the throne of God. The tone of the lyrics, however, stands in stark contrast to that of my imagination:

Before the throne of God above
I have a strong and perfect plea;
A great High Priest, whose name is Love
Who ever lives and pleads for me.
My name is graven on His hands,
My name is written on His heart;
I know that while in heaven He stands
No tongue can bid me thence depart.

Hallelujah, what a difference! While my imagined experience was predicated solely on my weakness, Smith's words are predicated upon the strength of another: a great high priest who pleads for me in perpetuity. A great high priest who knows my name and has redeemed me in the eyes of the Father. A great high priest who has sealed my inheritance as a child of God so that no tongue can bid me thence depart.

Because the sinless Savior died
My sinful soul is counted free;
For God, the just, is satisfied
To look on Him and pardon me.

Of course, acknowledging my weakness isn't wrong; indeed, it's necessary. My soul is sinful and corrupt at its core. Yet, God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. As a result, my sinful soul is counted free. The Father is satisfied to look on Christ in my stead. And when he looks at Christ, what does he see?

Behold Him there, the risen Lamb!
My perfect, spotless Righteousness,
The great unchangeable I AM,
The King of glory and of grace.

He sees my unblemished righteousness. A righteousness that I did not earn and that I do not deserve, but that has been counted to me nonetheless as a free gift of grace by the atoning work of Jesus Christ at Calvary.

Not Alone Before the Throne

My thought experiment had a false premise. As believers, we are never alone before the throne of God. Sitting at the right hand of the Father, there is one who took the full punishment for our sin upon himself, who lived a blameless life that it might be counted to us as perfect, spotless righteousness, and who intercedes for us in his presence.

When Charitie Lees Smith put pen to paper in 1863, she didn't title her hymn, "Before the Throne of God Above." She named it after the one who pleads with the Father on our behalf. She named it after the Great High Priest. She named it after Christ.

She named it, “The Advocate.”

Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. 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. (Heb 4:14-16)