Week Three, Friday
Ephesians 3:12-13
Ready to Scoop Us Up
By Pastor Paul Georgulis
“12 Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come boldly and confidently into God’s presence. 13 So please don’t lose heart because of my trials here. I am suffering for you, so you should feel honored.” – Ephesians 3:12-13 (New Living Translation)
Because of Jesus, we have open access to God the Father. But note the role of faith, of placing our hope and trust in Jesus as our Lord. It is because of our faith in Jesus – and the fact that we have been made into new creations in Him – that we can come before God at any time. And God Himself awaits us with arms wide open to welcome us into His presence.
When Paul uses the words “boldly and confidently,” he is doing so to encourage us to come to God, even when we are a bit afraid or shy or feel too ashamed. We should come before God in prayer with the abandon of children. Don’t be afraid of God. Talk to Him about everything. He wants to hear from you.
In verse thirteen, Paul tell us that his suffering, trials, and imprisonment should make us feel honored. What a strange thing to say, right? What he means by this is that if he would have not preached the message of the gospel, he would not be in jail – but then the Ephesians would not have heard the Good News and come to faith in Jesus either. Paul had to suffer so that the gospel could be spread and people would come to faith in Jesus, but He knew that God was with him every step of the way.
Just like Paul, God is with us every step of the way – helping us, guiding us, comforting us, sustaining us, and sometimes carrying us.
Prayer:
Father God, thank you for providing a way for us to come boldly and confidently into your presence. Allow us to not be afraid, but to come to you as a young child running to their daddy. Thank you that you are there with open arms, ready to scoop us up and hold us close. We love you, Lord.
In Jesus name we pray, amen!
