In my work I deal with a lot of anxious people. It’s bad enough they’re not feeling well already, but then they have to come into the walk-in clinic, with it’s bright lights, crying babies, and a bunch of strangers who check their weight, stick a thermometer in their mouth, and ask probing, personal, questions. It’s not exactly a relaxing environment!
I’ve found one way to get my patients to feel more comfortable is to find something we have in common. If I’m able to share a similar experience I’ve had or discover we have mutual friends or have been to the same place on vacation, they realize they’re not alone and they start to relax.
For many people God is a scary concept. They see Him as an overbearing tyrant constantly looking for some reason to squash them like a bug. It’s hard to feel a connection with a God like that and even harder to trust Him.
This is why Jesus came to earth, to help us see who God really is, not a tyrant, but a loving father. “God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ…” 2 Corinthians 5:19.
We can relate to a God who got tired, felt alone, suffered disappointment, and was abandoned by His friends. We can feel a connection with a deity who “who has been tempted in every way, just as we are” and we find hope in the fact that, though He faced the same challenges we do, “yet he did not sin.” (Hebrews 4:15).
This is such good news! Jesus understands what you’re going through, because He’s a human too. We do not need to be anxious or afraid in God’s presence, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses…” (v. 15). Instead we can “approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” (v. 16).
This morning, come boldly before God’s throne. You have nothing to be afraid of, because you have something in common – you both love His Son! So “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7) He will never turn you away! How could He? Your part of the family!