by Gordon Chilvers
CONFIDENC
O ur great privilege is to enter God’s presence and lay bare our hearts before Him in worship, praise and petition. Sometimes the devil raises doubts in our minds as from time to time our petitions seem to go unheeded. Does God really hear us? Does He want us to draw near to Him? Assurance on these subjects is vital to our Christian life. Our assurance comes first from our love for others. The world hates Christians; do we love them? The answer to that question is an un failing indication of our spiritual progress. John says by this love “. . . we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him” (1 John 3:19). Love is vital. “. . . he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law” (Rom. 13:8). This love certifies our sonship. “We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death” (1 John 3:14). John then probes the uneasy con science. Have we the clear convic tion that we really love the breth ren? If we have not, then our heart condemns us. It was Findlay who said, “The tense of the verb makes the supposition more alarming; it is put in the Greek present of con tinuity, and implies not a passing cloud but a persistent shadow, a repeated or sustained protest of con science. This is no mere misgiving of sensitive nature jealous of itself, to be justly dispelled by the reassur ing consciousness of a cordial love to the brethren. Nay, it is the oppo site of such assurance; it is condem nation upon the vital, testing point.” Whenever conscience convicts us then we need beware for “God is greater than our heart.” If we are
come boldly to God for Christ’s work is completely effective and has cleared away all hesitation and mystery. Our boldness is strength ened by the fact that it is now a Throne of Grace. It is no longer a throne flashing with lightning and reverberating with thunder. The holiest of all is no longer veiled from our sight, and by faith we can enter into the presence of God. There is the gracious invitation of God assuring us that He is more ready to answer us than we are to ask Him. He will meet our need “according to the riches in Christ Jesus” and “is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think.” Love to one another smoothes out any difficulties that could otherwise be in the way of our perfect free dom in prayer. We come to God knowing that He sees every loving deed and hears every loving word and reads the love in every motive. Whatever kindness there is in us, God knows and is pleased with it. Where there is love there is no need for fear. Surely nothing is more blessed than to kneel before the Lord and know that we are immediately enjoying His presence in happy, unhampered fellowship. The possibilities of prayer for the soul in the fullest fellowship with God are unlimited: “And whatso ever we ask, we receive of him, be cause we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleas ing in his sight.” This statement is comprehensive enough to include anything or everything we or those we pray for may need. If our heart is right before God, He will lead us in prayer so that we only ask for those things which are reflec tions of the will of God. We express our needs to God and look for a full satisfaction in the meeting of that
condemned in the lower court, it is certain that we shall be in the high er court. There are many wrong actions which conscience will pass because it is hardened or ignorant, but there are no mistakes with God. We are apt to give ourselves the benefit of the doubt, but God will be completely impartial. God knows every action, every word, every thought and every motive; and all are weighed most scrupulously. If we cannot look ourselves in the face and say all is well, then clearly we cannot expect to look into the face of God and get His approval. “God is greater than our hearts” in purity and sees the hidden evil and the malignity of sin. He “knoweth all things,” even if secret; whether good or evil; whether it mitigates or aggravates. On the other hand it is possible for us to be like Paul and have “. . . a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men” (Acts 24:16). So with a tender ap peal John gives a word of consola tion to quell our fears. “Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God.” This is the guileless conscience bathed in love which can look up to God for His smile of approval. Here we pass from the shadow to the sun shine. The child of God knows he can speak as naturally to Him as to his earthly father. In fact it is bet ter than that. According to Plum mer, “He will be able to unburden his whole soul without restraint to his Father in heaven, and pour forth his words that he would on no account utter in a human ear.” Through Christ we have the priv ilege of going to God and calling Him “Father” and that is the pri mary ground of our confidence. “Having therefore, brethren, bold ness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus” (Heb. 10:19). We
The author is from Norwich, England and this is his third recent article in KB.
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