{"id":3572,"date":"2016-08-07T09:00:11","date_gmt":"2016-08-07T14:00:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.barbdahlgren.com\/?p=3572"},"modified":"2016-07-09T18:13:42","modified_gmt":"2016-07-09T23:13:42","slug":"choose-to-boldly-approach-the-throne","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/?p=3572","title":{"rendered":"Choose to Boldly Approach the Throne"},"content":{"rendered":"

Another Year of Choices<\/em><\/p>\n

By Barbara Dahlgren<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Come<\/p>\n

Hebrews 4:16 says, \u201cLet us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Years ago I heard a sermon about this verse. The preacher wasn\u2019t totally advocating a \u201cname it and claim it,\u201d \u201cblab it and grab it,\u201d or \u201chealth and wealth\u201d gospel, but he did give the impression we should boldly ask God for what we want and if it\u2019s good for us, good for everyone around us, and just plain good \u2013 God will give it to us.<\/p>\n

Well, that\u2019s what I did\u2026 and guess what? God didn\u2019t give me what I wanted. Imagine my disappointment! My faith was a bit shaken because I felt like I was taking a giant leap of faith to make a request boldly. I also felt like my lack of faith prevented me from getting it.<\/p>\n

Is our faith a bit wobbly when God doesn\u2019t give us what we want \u2013 when clearly we know it would be the best for everyone concerned?<\/p>\n

Ah\u2026but do we really know what is the best for everyone? We may think we do, but maybe we don\u2019t. God sees all and knows all. Only He knows what is best for everyone! Is it our lack of faith that prevents a request, or God\u2019s faithfulness to doing what is best that makes the difference?<\/p>\n

So what does it mean to come boldly before the throne of grace?<\/p>\n

Actually this passage isn\u2019t about our boldness per se \u2013 at least not the kind of boldness we associate with this word \u2013 like being brash, brave, daring, etc. The whole passage is letting us know we can have an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ, our High Priest. We have direct access to Jesus Christ! We don\u2019t need to go through another person \u2013 a priest, a minister, a guru, a psychic, or an angel to get to God. This direct access thing is a big deal and was not really possible for the common man before the death of Christ.<\/p>\n

In Old Testament times, the High Priest was the mediator between God and the people. Only he could enter the Holy of Holies in the temple. (Hebrews 9:7) The Holy of Holies was a special place, considered the earthly dwelling place for God\u2019s presence.\u00a0 A veil or thick curtain divided it from the rest of the temple, where man could dwell.<\/p>\n

However, when Jesus died for our sins, that veil or curtain was miraculously \u201crent\u201d or torn from top to bottom. (Matthew 27:50-51) God no longer dwells in temples made of hands. (Acts 17:24) The way to God the Father is not through the temple, but through Christ His Son, because Jesus is now our High Priest. (Hebrews 10:19-22)<\/p>\n

And Jesus, our High Priest, came to earth, lived among us, and totally understands everything we go through. (Hebrews 4:14-16) He feels our pain. He knows our weaknesses and temptations. So when we talk to Him, He \u201cgets\u201d us! He understands us. He knows where we are coming from.\u00a0Therefore, we can come \u201cboldly\u201d before Him.<\/p>\n

The Greek word for boldly here is \u201cparrhesia\u201d and it means to be frank, outspoken, and even blunt. We can tell Jesus exactly how we feel. It\u2019s not about making bold requests we want God to fulfill like some big sugar daddy in the sky. It\u2019s about being honest without fear of reprisal. It\u2019s about pouring our hearts out to the One who understands and having confidence in Him to do the best thing for us. We come boldly to Him so we can obtain mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. (Hebrews 4:16)<\/p>\n

Consider this\u2026 We don\u2019t have to worry that we are praying in the wrong way, at the wrong time, with the wrong stance, etc. We have a High Priest who looks beyond all that to our hearts. God doesn\u2019t want to punish us; He wants us to realize how much He loves us! You see, it\u2019s not our faith or lack of faith that makes the difference in our prayers; it\u2019s God\u2019s faithfulness!<\/p>\n

\"You<\/p>\n

Suggestions for practicing this choice\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

Talk to God all day long. Tell Him honestly how you feel. If you are happy say, \u201cLord, I\u2019m so happy! Thank you for your blessings!\u201d If you are sad say, \u201cLord, I\u2019m so sad. Please give me yourcomfort.\u201d If you are confused say, \u201cLord, I\u2019m so confused. Help me to see your will in this mess.\u201d If you are angry say, \u201cLord, I\u2019m so mad. Please help me not to say something I\u2019ll regret.\u201d Get the idea????<\/p>\n

Ask God to help you trust and have confidence in Him.<\/p>\n

Pray for God\u2019s will to be done, not yours.<\/p>\n

James 4:3 tells us, \u201cYou ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.\u201d If you want better answers from God, try asking better questions.<\/p>\n

Repeat or sing this often throughout the day: Jesus loves me this I know\u2026<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Another Year of Choices By Barbara Dahlgren Hebrews 4:16 says, \u201cLet us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace\u2026\u201d Years ago I heard a sermon about this verse. The preacher wasn\u2019t totally advocating a \u201cname it and claim it,\u201d … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3572","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3572","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3572"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3572\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3572"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3572"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3572"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}