Cheerful Courage

Heb 4:16 NLT – So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.

Have you ever prayed about something just knowing God would answer this particular prayer powerfully? You come away with a complete assurance that the Father was happily nodding in agreement all the time you were praying. That the request was a done deal, the moment you asked?

I am in that kind of situation right now. I recently prayed one of those somewhat audacious prayers where I had to tell myself to breathe, the thought of an affirmative answer so immense and exciting. Sensing God was saying, Yes!

Now if I told you what it was, you would probably not feel the same excitement, but to me, it’s big. The excitement has kept the butterflies doing summersaults in my stomach. Watching, to see what he is up to… Every part of my time in the word recently has pointed to God’s provision in this situation. Someday I will share but until then…

The writer of Hebrews wrote a verse that is sadly missed by too many believers. But for those of us who want to follow hard after Jesus, we must understand these words, “So let us come boldly before the throne of our gracious God.” (Hebrews 4:16). Why did he write these words? What did he have in mind for us to do differently than what the church is already doing?

Here is the thing: boldly doesn’t mean arrogantly or overconfidently. In other words, our prayers are a petition. A petition to the God of the universe. A petition or request to help in our time of need. We come asking, not telling! We certainly cannot force God to act. But what boldly does mean is coming knowing you come clothed in Christ. Knowing that because of what Jesus did on the cross, you can now have access to the Lord. Not access through another person, someone who has died, or a saint of some sort. No, you now come directly into the throne room of God. Catch this idea, you can make a beeline for the throne any time you want!!! Grasp this truth. Our enemy, Satan prefers we not come boldly, or for that matter, come at all. But God so amazingly made this benefit available to all his children. You see the door is open- come on in! Have you been there lately?

So, when we come boldly, we come without the worry of rejection or fear, without the need for a smooth-talking lawyer, with the absolute assurance of being heard, and we come often.

Paul wrote in Eph 3:12, “Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come boldly and confidently into God’s presence.” What an amazing truth! We can come into God’s presence confidently because of Jesus. And as you are there, in that throne room, you are not only talking to the Father but to the Son who is sitting on his throne at the right side of the Father. Jesus, with scars still visible on his hands, is there too! Interceding for you! This is amazing! Can you envision this? Can you see the scene?

One of Strong’s descriptors of the boldness with which we should come is with cheerful courage. Don’t you love that idea? I can just see my grandkids displaying, cheerful courage. Skipping into my kitchen, opening my pantry door, and picking out a treat. They know the pantry will not be found empty. They have that confidence. Isn’t that how we should come to the throne room of Grace? Cheerfully skipping in, knowing there will be an answer in there for us? We need to understand that coming into God’s throne room will not be for naught. His ability to answer us is immense. But even if the answer is not what we are looking for, being in his presence is glorious!

Have you visited the throne room recently? The Father and Son are awaiting your arrival. The invitation has been issued. Are you coming?

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