Let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. (Hebrews 4:16 NIV)
"Boldy I approach your throne, Blameless now I'm running home, By Your blood I come, Welcomed as Your own" -Boldly I Approach by Rend Collective
Today as I drove to a quite place to be alone with Jesus, I listened to this song. I began thinking about what it meant to "boldly approach" the throne of Jesus. As I pondered I thought about being blameless before God. We are free from condemnation. We can approach the Throne knowing we are forgiven and free. There was a nearby stream rushing with water. It has rained a lot recently, so the current was strong. I was reading Psalm 51 (David pleading for forgiveness after committing adultery) and I thought about the water as God's love and grace. It's not a trickle; it's not a drop. It's constant, loud, covering us and all of our sin. It's quick, yet smooth. When we ask for forgiveness His grace and love sweep us under. We are not sprinkled with love and grace. We are drowning in it.
We can approach the Throne confident of our status with God: blameless children.
Not only can we approach the Throne because we are free from condemnation, blameless in the eyes of God, but because we know He will meet us and we known He will speak. He will be there when we call out.
In the story of Job, as Job questions God and His wisdom, God shows up.
Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said... (Job 38:1 ESV)
God shows up in a whirlwind and speaks, showing Job His endless wisdom and power. (Job 38 2-41)
In the story of Elijah (1 Kings 19), God tells Elijah to come out of the cave, out of hiding, and stand on the mountain (v. 11). A mighty windstorm hit the mountain, but God was not in the storm (v. 11) Then an earthquake, but God was not in the earthquake (v.11). Then there was fire, but God wasn't in the fire (v. 12). Finally, a gentle whisper. God shows up.
11 The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for theLord is about to pass by.”Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave... (1 Kings 19: 11-13)
We can approach the Throne confident of God's presence.
James 4:8 says "Come close to God, and God will come close to you." We can be confident knowing as we draw nearer to God, he pulls us in all the more tightly.
This also brought me to the Parable of the Lost Son. The father had given him his share of the estate, and the young son went off and lost all that he had. Once he realized he had no option but to return home, he decided he would agree to be a servant for his father. However, read what happens:
This is what God does for us. As we begin to sprint, meander, crawl towards His thrown, He sees us and is filled with compassion for us. He runs to us and wraps his arms around us, bringing us close.
...But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. (Luke 15:20)
We can approach the Throne confident of God's compassion.
So go, run to God. Approach the throne knowing you are forgiven, knowing God will meet you there, knowing God will pull you in closer, knowing God will have mercy on you.
Much Love.
