Access To God!

April 3, 2026

Access To God!

We set aside today to remember that Jesus died.  Jesus died on a cross while strung up between two common criminals.  Jesus died with a crown of thorns on His head and a sword pierced in His side.  Jesus died with a crowd of confused and frightened and horrified people watching His last breath.

Jesus died to give us access to the Lord God.  The barrier caused by our sin, the chasm created by our lack of trust, and the separation left by our rebellion were closed when Jesus breathed His last and gave up His life. 

The one thing no other person could do, Jesus accomplished when He died on a cross that Friday afternoon.  The Apostle Luke describes the death of the Son of God, Jesus. 

In Luke 23:44-49 we hear; “It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, while the sun’s light failed, and the curtain of the temple was torn in two.  Then Jesus, crying out with a loud voice, said, ‘Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.’  Having said this, he breathed his last.  When the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God and said, ‘Certainly this man was innocent.’  And when all the crowds who had gathered there for this spectacle saw what had taken place, they returned home, beating their breasts.  But all his acquaintances, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance watching these things.”

Several years after Jesus died that Friday afternoon, the Apostle Paul described the difference the death of Jesus makes in our relationship with our Heavenly Father.  In Romans 5:2 the Apostle Paul writes; “…through whom (Jesus) we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand, and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God.”

Paul says that we gain “access” to the grace of our Heavenly Father through who Jesus is and what Jesus has done in his life, death, and resurrection.  In particular, it is the death of the Son of God (Jesus!) that allows us to cross any barrier, any chasm, and any divide that keeps us separated from the Lord God.

There are times, however, when even the most devout Christ-follower can still feel a bit distant from the Lord God.  Maybe it is a lingering sin onto which we are holding or maybe it is a persistent fear or unrelenting loss or an unshakable bitterness that is creating the distance.  If one of these or something else is causing you to feel distant from the Lord God, it may be time to have a conversation with Jesus. 

There are other times, the distance is simply the result of a dry season in our spiritual life.  I am reminded of the Psalmist’s description of this feeling of “separation” from the Lord God.  In Psalm 63:1 we hear; “O God, you are my God; I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.”  Sometimes my soul simply thirsts for more of the Lord because I am living in a season in which my soul feels dry…really dry.

The good news is that when I feel distant from the Lord God, I can hold to the promise that through the death of Jesus on a cross I still have “access” to the Lord.  The Psalmist gives some practical guidance for those who feel distant from the Lord.

Take a look at Psalm 63:2-4.  The Psalmist writes; “So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you.  So I will bless you as long as I live; I will lift up my hands and call on your name.”

Here are some things I can do when I forget I have access to the Lord God; i.e., when I feel distant and separated from the Lord.

+Join with other believers to worship the Lord God with a focus upon beholding God’s power and glory.  Too often, we gather for worship with a focus on our need, our request, or just seeing our friends.  The Psalmist encourages us to gather for worship with a very specific focus upon the Lord; a focus on His power and glory!

+Praise the Lord with your mouth.  You can praise the Lord in your corporate or private worship, in your prayers, or in your conversations with other people.  When you let your praise for who the Lord is and what the Lord has done and what the Lord is about to do pass through your lips, you often feel closer to the Lord God.

+Take opportunities throughout your day to bless the Lord.  In the small things and in the big things, you can bless the Lord with your praise, your gratitude, your love, and your expressions of devotion.  When you bless the Lord, you will experience the Lord drawing closer to you.

+Get physically involved in drawing near to the Lord.  The Psalmist reminds us to “lift up my hands” in worship, in prayer, in meditation, etc.  When you lift up your hands, your body gets involved in being more receptive to the Lord’s coming into you, exalting the Lord with all that you are, and outwardly witnessing to the goodness of the Lord God. 

+Call upon the name of the Lord in conversations, prayers, and worship.  Call upon the name of the Lord while serving the poor, reading the Bible, or spending time reading a devotional book.  When you call upon the name of the Lord, it draws you into a conversation with Jesus that draws you closer and closer to His heart.

Take some time today to thank Jesus for dying on a cross so you have access to your Heavenly Father.  If you are not feeling that closeness with the Lord today, take some time each day for the next three days to worship Jesus with other believers, praise Jesus with your mouth, bless Jesus for who He is and what He has done, lift up your hands to receive more of Jesus, and call upon Jesus with a sincere and grateful heart.

When you do these things, you will remember the promise of Jesus’ death for greater access to the Lord God.  When you remember, your heart will fill with delight even if you still feel a bit distant from the Lord right now.    

Take Delight In The Lord!

Doug