When we think of the Lord, we know that He is a righteous and Holy God. Since He is Holy, He does not permit sin in His presence. Sin is what separates us from God and has eternal consequences if we are not forgiven of them. However, since God loves us, He sent His Son, Jesus to pay the price for our sin so that we can be forgiven and make new again. All we need to do is accept the gift He has given. When we come to God, He wants us to come just as we are. How do we approach a Holy and Righteous God?
First, we need to know who God is. Hebrews 1:3 says “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful Word. After He had provided purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.” This verse alone tells us that God is in heaven with Jesus sitting at the right hand of God.
Currently, Jesus is making intercession for us (Romans 8:34). Jesus is the Only Way we can make it to heaven since He has paid the penalty for sin, He is the sacrifice for our sin. Once we accept His gift of salvation, we have a personal relationship with the Lord and we can ask anything in His Name. With the help of the Lord and our continuous strive to be close to the Lord, we will not be prone to sin since God’s Word is living in us.
Even though God is Holy and does not permit sin, He is also our High Priest and understands exactly what we go through (Hebrews 4: 14-15). There is not a sin that the Lord did not deal with while He was in the world. With this mindset, we can take confidence in knowing that when we talk to God, He already understands our struggle. In return, He gives us the strength to continue when we ask for it. He also has sent us the Holy Spirit as our Comforter when we need Him. In other words, the Lord is not expecting you to walk the road alone but to use what He has given you so that you can serve Him completely.
Since we know that God has given us His Word, the Holy Spirit, and tools to help in our walk, we are to come before Him boldly and confidently. Hebrews 4:16 states “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” When we are close to the Lord and think of Him as our Father, we will come to God as like a child would approach their parent.
The child knows that the parent can provide their need so they will come boldly and ask. The parent will then fulfill the need if deemed appropriate for the child. This is the same scenario with God. When we know that God is our Provider and Deliverer, we can have that confidence and boldness to come to God and request our need. Just like the parent, if the request is in line with God’s Will, He will grant the request for you.
God’s love for us is greater than we can imagine. He proved this love by sending His Son to take the punishment for our sin so that we will not be eternally separated from Him. He wants us to come as we are because He is ready to forgive us and to give us strength as we strive to follow Him. We never need to be afraid of coming to God as long as we have the desire to come to Him. The same goes for those who have not yet believed the gospel of Jesus but yet still desires to come to Him. God will never turn away from someone who wants to come to Him with a need.
So today, when you come to God in prayer, know that He is waiting and desiring to hear from you. God loves you despite any wrongdoings and He is ready to forgive you and make you holy again.
Thought for the week: What can hinder you from coming to God? Do you have hindrances? If so, how can you remove them so you can come to God?