Grace Trail

Imagine a bride walking down the aisle, her veil partially obscuring her features.  She exchanges vows with her groom, and when they are pronounced "husband and wife" her spouse lifts the veil, exposing her features, and they kiss.  The covenant of marriage has created a way past the veil.

God has made a covenant too.  Reflections of the everlasting covenant of grace (Heb 13:20) are found in the book of Genesis, especially in the life of Abraham.  In Genesis 15 we see detailed promises given to Abram, as he was then called.  But then something weird happens.

God tells Abram to cut up some animals.  Apparently, when folks would make a binding contract, they would cut animals in half, and then walk together down the bloody trail between the pieces. But in this account (Gen 15:9-17) Abram was a non-participant.  A "deep sleep" fell upon him, and then a "smoking furnace" and a "burning lamp" (vs 17) passed between the pieces.  The fiery glory of God walked the bloody trail.

God had made the covenant with Himself.  True, Abram was involved.  He was the recipient of the blessing, but he was not the guarantor.  God was the one Who had done the work.  In this same chapter we read, "And he [Abram] believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness." Gen 15:6.

Later, the Apostle Paul quotes this verse in his letter to the believers in Rome.  He is arguing that from the get-go, justification has always been through faith alone. (See Romans chapter 4.)  Most of us understand that.  At least, that is what we say.

But what really goes on in our minds and hearts as we attempt to approach God in prayer?  Maybe we have a sense of sin.  We don't think ourselves worthy.  Maybe our hearts feel dead and lifeless; we may not feel a desire to pray at all.  Perhaps we try to stir up our feelings.  Surely we can work ourselves into some kind of spiritual mindset!  But it doesn't work.

We have to find the Grace Trail.  It's the bloody trail that God has walked.  Jesus walked the Via Dolorosa to the cross and shed His blood to open that path.  The blood of the animals in Genesis is just a picture, a prelude, of Calvary, where the Grand Transaction took place.  We don't walk the Trail ourselves.  We simply acknowledge that Christ did it for us.

We acknowledge our own unworthiness.  Not only have we sinned, we are also completely unable to participate in the covenant-making process.  We must die to our own thoughts of "doing" enough or "feeling" the right way.  Christ has truly done it all.

When Jesus died, the veil in the Temple that hung in front of the Holy of Holies was torn in two.  Suddenly a way was made into the presence of God.  That's why we pray, "In Jesus' name."  There is no merit, no goodness in ourselves, to earn our way in.

The veil is torn open because our covenant God walked the Grace Trail.