Revelation 4:3
“And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald.”

John says the One on the throne looked like jasper and sardine stone. Jasper seems to speak of brilliance, clarity, light. That matters, because God is not confused about what is happening in your life. He is not in the dark about the ache in your home, the weakness in your body, or the pressure that keeps you up at night. He sees it all clearly.

And when we wonder why He has not done something, we need to remember that He has.

The sardine stone points us to red, and that takes us straight to the blood of Christ. Jesus did not remain distant from our pain. He entered it. He stretched out His hands, wore the crown of thorns, received the spear, and gave His life. The cross settled forever the question of whether God loves us. Romans 5:8 says that God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

So when people charge God with not caring, they are reading the story wrong. The cross is Heaven’s answer. The cross says God has already gone farther than words could ever go. He did not love us casually. He loved us sacrificially. He laid everything down.

There is something else here that is beautiful. In the high priest’s breastplate, the first stone represented Reuben, whose name means “behold, a son.” The last stone represented Benjamin, “the son of my right hand.” Here in Revelation, the throne scene brings those thoughts together. Behold the Son at the right hand. John is not just describing glory in the abstract. He is showing us Jesus.

And around that throne is a rainbow.

Not a warning light. Not a signal telling us to stay back. A rainbow. A reminder of mercy. A testimony of covenant grace. The throne of God is surrounded by the evidence that He deals with His people on the basis of grace.

That is why Hebrews 4:16 does not tell us to come to the throne of merit. It does not tell us to come to the throne of performance. It tells us to come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

I love that.

Because grace is not just where the Christian life starts. Grace is the whole way through. We do not begin by grace and then continue by grit. We do not get saved by grace and then live by spiritual swagger. No, dear friend, it is grace from first to last.

And that means when God blesses you, restores you, strengthens you, answers you, and keeps you, the glory goes where it belongs. Not to your discipline. Not to your intensity. Not to your consistency. To Him.

Amazing grace, indeed.