Coming Boldly

I was at a dance camp a few years ago, where at the end of one of our dances, it was supposed to be like us finally finishing the race we're running. Our teacher and choreographer said to us, "Imagine you are entering the throne room of GOD. How would you approach Him?"

I answered her in my mind, "Timidly, humbly, slowly, probably looking at the ground cause I am unworthy to look at His face."

"You're not going to shuffle over to Him looking at the ground," she said, as though we all knew exactly what she meant. "You would run toward Him boldly!"

Run toward Him boldly. Now that is one I hadn't thought of.

I have actually mulled this over in my mind a lot since then, because I have often heard, "Enter His presence with boldness," and on the one hand I agreed, but my mind separated that and that fact that I believed I could not enter His presence boldly.

It's one thing to boldly post bible verses on Facebook, it's quite another to waltz up to God in the flesh as though you deserve it.

I realized quite a while ago now that I was wrong. My mindset that I could only approach God with fear and trembling, it was wrong. God does love me, did adopt me, and does delight in me. I have permission to love Him, to be excited to see Him.

But still, I believed my choreographer was wrong. Running toward Him boldly the way she described it seemed disrespectful. Verses like Hebrews 4:16 didn't make any sense to me.

“Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

THAT we may obtain mercy? Like we're entering His throne room boldly and THEN receiving mercy? Whaaaat....?

A couple days ago though, I was studying Hebrews 4 with my friend, and decided to spend longer than usual on this part. Suddenly, I understood.

“Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews‬ ‭4:14-16‬)

I had to simplify the sentences in order to figure it out for myself, so I'll simplify again so you can read what I was thinking.

Because we have a great High Priest, (Jesus) let us hold fast our profession. (Holy Priesthood)

The High Priest we have understands our weaknesses because He went through the same trials and temptations that we do, even though He never sinned.

Because of this, we don't have to be ashamed of our weakness, as though He didn't know about it when He chose to make us priests, instead we may come boldly to the throne of grace, showing ourselves to be exactly who He already knew us to be, to obtain even more mercy, and grace to help in time of need.

I guess the simplified version is even longer than the original, but you get the point.

We didn't choose to become a Holy Priesthood, and God did not accept us because the facade we put on was so convincing. He CHOSE us for exactly who we are, even less perfect than we even think ourselves to be. THAT is why we may enter boldly, because nothing about our boldness comes from who we are, it ALL has to do with who He is, and the decision HE made.