Permission to Speak Freely

Hebrews 4:16 (KJV)
Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace,
that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Several years ago, a well-known minister of the gospel wrote a book entitled, “Wanting a God You Can Talk To.”  The gist of the book was that what people really want is a God with whom they can share their innermost thoughts, fears, and disappointments. They want a relationship where conversations can flow freely without fear of being rejected or condemned.

This idea of being able to talk without reserve to our heavenly Father has been met by two seemingly opposing forces: 1) Religion – tends to focus on the “dos and don’ts” of Christianity to the extent that there is not much room left for free-flowing conversations between Father and child.  Religion stresses “doing” rather than “being” so much of the time that a believer’s efforts are found in getting all his ducks in a row as a means of coming into God’s presence.  And, getting all of the ducks in a row rarely happens.  Hence, honest, heartfelt conversations between Father and child don’t occur often.  2) The “Faith Movement” – can sometimes be so focused on having faith, that a believer feels uncomfortable expressing anything but faith. While faith-filled words are optimum, there are times when a believer just needs to be able to come to God and share his disappointments, fears, and anything else that is weighing on him. 

In the natural, where does a child go for comfort to express his greatest hurts/fears but into the arms of a loving parent? Certainly, the same is true in the spiritual realm. Hebrews 4:16 helps us understand that God gives us that freedom to share our struggles freely with Him.  According to Strong’s Concordance, the word “boldly” means to speak bluntly or with frankness. According to Wester’s 1828 Dictionary, the term “frank” means “open, not reserved; using no disguise.” As children of God, we have His permission to come into His Throne of Grace, totally open, without reserve, using no disguise and share those things that are causing our hearts to be heavy.

There is a story told that shortly after his father was assassinated, John Kennedy Jr. hurt himself and was sitting on the ground crying.  His uncle, Robert Kennedy, who had taken over the role of father in his life, tried to comfort and encourage John Jr. by reminding him that “Kennedys don’t cry.” In a moment of total honesty, the little boy looked up and said, “Well this Kennedy cries.”  The fact is that we all have moments when we just need to be able to express without reserve what we are facing and feeling. Hebrews 4:16 assures us that when those moments occur, what awaits us is the gentle embrace of our Heavenly Father.  It is an embrace that is filled with mercy and grace; mercy to comforts us at the moment, and, grace to empower us to get up and go again.

12/19