Unlimited Acces

A friend of mine is in the security business. “I can let you in your office from halfway around the world,” he said. “I can also keep you in.”

Ever since 9/11 we in the United States have been subjected to a form of increased security, especially at airports. But what we do is minimal compared to many areas of the world. And it’s probable that no one enjoys unlimited access anymore. Everyone comes under scrutiny. And surveillance is common.

Whether you’re entering a warehouse or the White House, someone is checking IDs and controlling access. But that’s not what God does.

We are free to come before him anytime, 24/7/365. In fact, we’re encouraged to “come boldly.” To barge right in. To interrupt whatever may be going on and demand God’s attention. But it’s where we go that may be the most important point.

We’re to come boldly before the throne of grace. You won’t find God on the judgment seat. He’s sitting on the Mercy Seat. And because he is, we have no need to be afraid. We can ask for whatever we need—wisdom, healing, financial aid, even a bailout—and he will give us what we need.

So what you ask for is not as important as where you ask. And if your prayer isn’t answered, check to see if you’re in the right location. If you’re timid about what you ask for, that may be because you think you don’t deserve a positive response and that led you to the wrong place. If you are where God isn’t, you won’t get the answer he longs to give.

Blueprints and Plans

Noah didn’t get a set of architectural drawings. He got rough external dimensions and a few general instructions.

"Make for yourself an ark of gopher wood; you shall make the ark with rooms, and shall cover it inside and out with pitch. This is how you shall make it: the length of the ark three hundred cubits, its breadth fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits. You shall make a window for the ark, and finish it to a cubit from the top; and set the door of the ark in the side of it; you shall make it with lower, second, and third decks."

God didn’t tell Noah how many rooms to make or how big they should be or if they should all be the same size or how far the door should be from the bow or the stern or if it should be on the port or starboard side or if there was a bow or stern or if there were port and starboard sides. He didn’t tell Noah how many animals the ark would house. He didn’t tell him if the decks should be equidistant from each other or if the giraffes needed a little more headroom. He didn’t tell Noah how tall the window should be, only that it should be one cubit from the top.

There’s a lot God never tells you and me. Instead he gives us general instructions. “Love me. Love your neighbors—all of them. Love yourself. Do what’s right. Love mercy. Walk humbly with me.” He gives us commands, not suggestions. But he leaves it up to us to determine how to obey him. We decide how to express our love to him, how to demonstrate love to our neighbors, and how to be good to ourselves.

For much of my life I wanted God to show me his plans. He told me in Jeremiah 29:11 that he had some. He even said they are good. And that I’d like them. But he’s never told me specifically what they are.

Finally, I understand. I have the free will to decide and the intelligence to weigh the options and choose how I will live a life that pleasing to God—a life worth living.