Unlimited Access

 

Yesterday we had a transition in the leadership of the government of the United States. In the morning the term of Donald Trump came to an end and in the afternoon the term Joe Biden began. We all might have words that we would like to share with either of these men while they hold office but the truth is that being able to do so directly, such as by a phone call, or perhaps dropping over at the White House, would be virtually impossible. Some people, such as their spouse, or the holder of a high government office, would likely be able to do that but the average person? Not so much. Go through the appropriate channels and, perhaps, you can relay your thoughts to them, but it is more likely that the closest you'll get will be to speak with someone working in their office.

In my devotional reading of the Bible this morning I read from the book of Esther. Esther is the queen to King Ahasuerus, a man whom the Bible tells us rules a kingdom that goes from India to Ethiopia. That is a lot of territory and it gives us a glimpse as to how much power Ahasuerus holds. And if you read the first few chapters of Esther you can learn how she wasn’t the queen at the start of the story. When Esther became queen the Bible tells us it happened like this,

“The king loved Esther more than all the women, and she won grace and favor in his sight more than all the virgins, so he set the royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti.”

Esther is the queen, and it would appear to the highly favored, but she has some well-founded reluctance in approaching the king on her own initiative. She explains to her relative,

“All the king’s servants and the people of the king’s provinces know that if any man or woman goes to the king inside the inner court without being called, there is but one law – to be put to death, except the one to whom the king holds out the golden scepter so that he may live.”

Esther is the queen, and highly favored, and yet wary of even the thought of approaching the king, her husband, directly.

These two thoughts on access today are in marked contrast to an email I received this morning, titled “Acknowledge the Privilege of Drawing Near to God in Prayer. 

In that email Matthew Henry writes “We must acknowledge it an unspeakable favor and an inestimable privilege that we are not only admitted, but invited and encouraged, to draw near to God in prayer.” He then gives seven different thoughts, all directly derived from the Bible, of how that access to God works. Here is one example,

You say, “Seek my face,” and our hearts say to you, “Your face, LORD, do we seek.” (Psalm 27:8 ESV) For, should not a people inquire of their God? (Isaiah 8:19 ESV) To whom shall we go but to you? You have the words of eternal life. (John 6:68 ESV)

President…kings…have restricted access, but in marked contrast, in terms of power, authority, and access, the Lord God Almighty says, “Seek my face”…anytime, anywhere. 

Unlimited access to God. A privilege that we are not merely allowed, but invited and encouraged to use.

 

 

 

Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Photo credit: Official White House Photo by Andrea Hanks