Do You Approach God Like This?

One of my favorite pictures is of my son, Elijah, sitting next to me during a wedding ceremony.

But we weren’t just attending the wedding. Rather, I was officiating the wedding! What I love about the picture is how completely relaxed Elijah looks.

He didn't care that he was sitting up front. He didn't care that people around him were dressed in fancy clothes. He was tired of standing, so he simply found a place to sit down. Naturally, he chose to sit next to his dad.

The Apostle Paul writes, “In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence”(Ephesians 3:12, NIV).

The author of Hebrews tells us a similar thing: “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16, ESV).  

These verses tell us that we have complete access to God. Through Jesus, we can approach our Heavenly Father with freedom and confidence at any time.

But do we?

Do you approach God with the same freedom and confidence that my son did? And if not, what prevents you from approaching Him more frequently and freely?  

The greatest likelihood is that we have a wrong view of ourselves and our Father God.  

Let me illustrate this with a story. I once heard it said, “Children are the best observers and the worst interpreters.”  

When I was about 11 years old, my older brother Rob and I were playing whiffle ball in the yard while Dad was working on the addition to our house.  I pitched the ball to Rob who hit a line drive right at me.  It happened so fast that I couldn’t even react. Before I knew it, the ball hit me right in the throat!  

While it didn’t do any damage, it caused the muscles in my throat to constrict, and suddenly, I couldn’t breathe. Although Rob didn’t believe me, he sauntered off to get Dad.  

By the time my dad arrived, my throat had relaxed, and I was breathing again. I was still shaken up because I really couldn’t breathe for a disconcertingly long time.  

But instead of relief, my dad was upset.  

Looking back at this incident decades later, I can imagine that my dad was worried and scrambled to get down from the new construction. When he saw I was okay, his fear and adrenaline exhibited outwardly as anger.  

But as a kid, I interpreted my dad’s anger to mean that I was an inconvenience to him. Even though this was not his heart toward me, it really impacted me.  

Can you see how what we think about our Heavenly Father can impact how we approach him?  

Do you hesitate to go to God in all things, even the small things? Do you keep your distance because you believe He is disappointed or frustrated with you?

If you lack any freedom and confidence in going to God, consider asking Him why.  Invite Him to reveal any lies you’ve been believing about yourself or about Him, and choose to replace those lies with the truth of Scripture.

Dear Saints, in Christ you are a beloved child of our wonderful heavenly Father. He is not too busy for you and is not angry when you ask Him for help. You can come to Him with complete freedom and confidence.

Perhaps that’s what I love most about that picture of Elijah. He didn’t wonder whether he was allowed to be there or not; he just knew he belonged next to his dad.  

We can approach God in the same way because of Jesus. Praise God!