A Bold Approach

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“Let us then approach the 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

I wonder how many of us truly approach God with the boldness and confidence that this verse in Hebrews exhorts us to do. Do we come to God freely with our concerns the way dearly loved children would run to their parents?

This summer God blessed me in my own backyard with a vivid picture of a bold approach. Since I’ve made an effort to make my backyard bird-friendly the past couple of years, it’s not unusual now for me to witness sights from nature that hold lessons for life in general.

I’d decided to spoil my little feathered friends with a few special treats when they visited the yard in the early evenings. I stood near the feeder and tossed out pieces of fruit I didn’t want—over-ripe strawberries, grapes that had started to shrivel, and blueberries that had gotten too mushy. I actually started to look for any imperfection in my fruit so that I might give it to the birds :)

It didn’t take long for my daily visitors to discover my new habit. A couple of robins and northern mockingbirds took special interest. The robins even got a little territorial about the whole thing.

Before long these regular visitors started coming near me. They got bold in their approach. Even though I was much bigger than them—a giant in comparison—they still approached. Their desire for sweet nourishment overshadowed their fear of me. Or perhaps they began to trust me after seeing that I was there only to feed them.

In my little interactions with these neighborhood birds, I saw how we should feel free to approach God. Even though he is huge and is the God of the very universe, we can draw close without fear. He longs to bless us.

Have we reached a point where our desire to fellowship with God and draw nourishment and strength from him is greater than any fear or hesitancy in approaching him? If not, let’s remember the birds—and the verse above from Hebrews—and approach our heavenly Father with confidence. I bet he’s just looking for reasons to bless us.

 “Come near to God and he will come near to you.” James 4:8a

*What do you need to approach the Father about today?

*My photo

Comments

  1. Rachel Davidson Skatvold says

    I love the beautiful illustration that you used, Cheryl. It’s so wonderful to know that we can boldly approach the God of the universe and he will draw near to us too. Lately I feel such a strong pull to draw closer to him through quiet time and prayer. Thank you for the encouraging post.

  2. Thanks for the encouragement in your posts. I am in a bible study on James through Beth Moore – Mercy Triumphs. It is amazing and I have spent a lot of time thanking God for the trials I have gone through in the past few years.

    • You’re welcome, Nanette. Bet Beth’s study on James is really good. I haven’t done that one, but I bet it’s excellent. Hope God continues to bless you through it!

  3. It is amazing, Jennifer, isn’t it? Wow, indeed!

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