Staggering Access to God
Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, said to his disciples:
“… I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.” (John 16:7)
Jesus, during his time on earth, declared that he will build his church. His church is a spiritual body of those who have new life through faith in Him. The church is a precious thing, and it is the local of the Christian life. We are family members in the household of God. The church is a gift of God, but it is not the gift Jesus sent when he was taken up to heaven. The church is not the replacement of Jesus’ presence being gone, His Spirit is.
Jesus didn’t say: “Look, I’m going to be gone but you have each other.” He said: “When I go, I will send the Helper, my Spirit, and He will guide you in all the truth. ‘“He will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgement.” Jesus’ presence went from being around us, to being in us who believe.
The gift of Christian community is a blessing to help reinforce God’s presence in our lives, not to replace His presence in our lives.
Your brother might have a good word for you, but nobody spoke like Jesus.
Your sister may have wisdom, but in Christ “are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”
Your brother may be able to see your blindspots, but God, “[has] searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar.”
Your sister may be a comfort and a support, but “God is the God of all comfort.”
We experience grace from God when we confess our sins to one another, but we must remember “there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus…”
Let us not forget the staggering access we have to our Heavenly Father in the midst of the blessing of so many brothers and sisters. God is first and foremost who we need, and in confession we get to draw near to him.
Would you pray with me?
Prayer of Confession
Father, you have promised to never leave us nor forsake us. You are the lifter of our heads. You are the savior and redeemer of our souls.
Father, forgive us of the ways that we have looked to other things beside you for hope and comfort. We have run to things to fill our needs. And we also have run to people to satisfy our needs. Our instincts betray us if we first run to other people in times of anxiety, or fear, or discouragement, rather than you. We should go to our brothers and sisters, while not neglecting the greater reality that you are always with us. That your love is abounding in steadfastness. That you are our hope and joy, our savior and our king. That, Jesus, you are our Great High Priest, who is able to sympathize with our weakness, and you hear the voice of your sheep.
Lord help us to confess this sin, and other sins, in this moment of silent confession…
