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Our Accessible God
by Stanley McMahon The choice of where people and nations build their airports is sometimes strange. They need enough space to park planes, build several runways, erect terminals, and parking areas and still be close enough to their cities. It's a tall order! I suppose you could summarise it by saying that airports have to focus their planning on accessibility for the people and approach for the planes. The strangest airports I have visited have had landing strips across motorways and right on the sea with a mountain as its backdrop but the airport at the base of Mount Everest is reputed to be the most dangerous in the world. The Tenzing-Hillary is surrounded by mountains and the pilots have no landing aids. It can only accommodate helicopters and small planes but even then the airport has a history of fatal accidents. Situated at over 9,000 feet in elevation, it is a hostile environment with no room for error. Not so our relationship with God. One of the most amazing things about our relationship with the Father is that we have one. The question of accessibility has been resolved through Christ. This is something most of us take for granted, but as I read through the Book of Exodus with all its detail on the intricacies of the tabernacle, it was something that was designed to bring home the awesome majesty of the Lord God of Israel. However, in spite of the fact that it should scare the life out of us, most of us don't have an issue with that, but we do with the approach. We are taught in Hebrews to approach the throne of grace with boldness and receive help and grace in the time of need. We err usually somewhere between a brash attitude and nonchalance. The fact is that Christ has taken away the hostilities that existed between us and the Father our sins and has brought us near and given us the privilege of standing before Him with confidence, without fear and without the dread of judgment or condemnation. When we grasp that truth it frees us to rejoice in Him and worship Him and throw off the shackles of guilt and shame that our enemy is intent on smothering us with. Let us then approach the throne, aware of His majesty, in awe of His love and grace and grateful that the One who is 'high and lifted up' has stooped low to touch our lives and call us His children. Long-time writer, life-time learner and happily married for nearly twenty-seven years. I am inspired by life and my bottom-line is faith that works. Live in Northern Ireland and engaged in church work full-time. Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com |