telephone in the background with the words "God is accessible"

God is Accessible

 by Amanda Hickernell

The word accessible means “easy to approach; having the right to come into.” We sinful humans have no right to come before a holy God. God is perfect, glorious, honorable and completely holy. We are none of those things. God is completely self-sufficient and has no need for our service or worship of Him. BUT God loves us. Not because of what we’ve done, but because He chose to love us. He desires to be with us, His precious creation. He desires to hear our songs of worship and our cries for help.

In order for us to draw near to God, He had to come to us first. After Adam & Eve were banished from God’s presence, God began a love story where He drew closer and closer to His people. First, He came as a cloud and a pillar of fire to the Israelites in the desert. He then gave specific instructions of sacrifices and ceremonial cleansing so that His glory could fill the inner portion of the tabernacle and He could dwell among His people. Then, God did something drastic: He came to earth in human form, in the person of Jesus. Even more amazing, God allowed His precious son, Jesus, to die on the cross so that we could be made clean from our sins. Being cleansed from our sins means that we can rightfully enter into His presence. But He didn’t stop there. After Jesus rose again and ascended into Heaven, God sent the Holy Spirit to live in each of us. Can He get any closer than that?

God desires to be near us and longs for us to draw near to Him. We don’t have to take a step, walk a mile, climb a mountain or ascend into Heaven to get to God. We just “seek His face, turn from our wicked ways and He will forgive our sins” (2 Chronicles 7:14).

A Light for All to See

One of my favorite passages from the Old Testament is Exodus 34:29. “When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the covenant law in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord.” I love that description of Moses’ face – radiant! Radiant because he had spoken with the Lord. My prayer is that we too would have radiant faces because we spend time with our God. The God who wants to be near us. The God who is accessible to us.

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 Amanda Hickernell is a member of  The Hallows Church West Seattle Expression. Amanda is a BSF teacher, graphic designer, wife to Jim and mother of two. She is often found leveraging her gifts and time on the Hallows Communication Team, Hallows Women’s Ministry Team, and wearing multiple hats at The Hallows West Seattle Expression.