A New Day

By: Pastor Johnie Akers   

Hebrews 4:16, “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”  During World War II a Marine was serving in the South Pacific.  His platoon was under fire and they were trying to signal their comrades that they had taken a certain hill.  Their sergeant issued an order for a man to take the American flag and raise it up on a pole to let other units know they had taken this ground.  As he grabbed the flag and ran off to raise it up, he was shot by a sniper.  Another man was sent to retrieve the flag and raise it up.  He too was shot.  Finally, a young private spoke up and said, “Sergeant, in just a few minutes it will be four o’clock.  If you will let me wait until then, I will take that flag, I will raise it up on that pole.”  The sergeant thought for a moment and said, “All right son.”  At four o’clock, the private jumped out of his foxhole, ran over and picked up the flag, and then he ran to the pole and raised it up.  He then turned and ran back to his foxhole and jumped in without as much as a scratch. The men cheered and the sergeant asked him why he wanted to wait until four o’clock to do what he did.  The private replied, “Well sergeant, it’s four o’clock here, but it’s 6:00 a.m. back home in Kansas.  My mother loves Jesus and she told me that every morning at 6:00 a.m. she would be on her knees praying for my safety.”  Friends, the old adage is true:  “Prayer changes things.”  Today, your situation may not be as critical as the young Marine in World War II, or perhaps it is.  Perhaps you have a loved one overseas in the service of our country; or, maybe you or your family are in dire straits with health issues, financial problems, legal issues, or a thousand other challenges that one can face.  Look in our Scripture lesson.  God’s Word gives us the assurance that we can “come boldly unto the throne” of God.  There is no restriction, no barrier in gaining access to God in prayer.  At the cross, Jesus Christ eliminated every obstacle in our path to access God and now each of us, can fully and freely come to Him in prayer and He will hear and answer, as we offer our petitions to Him in faith, with each new day.