We Are Confident | Qualities of Women Who Trust Jesus
“Let us then 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.” —Hebrews 4:16
Fear of failure and a low sense of confidence are closely tied together. Many of us have such a strong aversion to failing, that we allow the fear of it to prevent us from moving forward. If there’s risk of rejection, or of accomplishing a task imperfectly, we may procrastinate or avoid doing what we should do altogether.
This is the heart condition common to many of us that the author addresses in Hebrews 4:16. We may lack the desire to read God’s word, or we may lack the motivation to pray, but those are typically symptoms of another condition that runs deeper: our fear of failure. Let me explain.
We want so badly to have our act together when we come to God. We want to feel showered up and fresh, minty breath and a brand new outfit too. We want to be free of guilt and full of confidence that He’ll hear our prayers because of how squeaky clean our record is. What we do NOT want— what we fear— is that we’ll try to approach God and be rejected. Or be shamed for not measuring up to the standard. That would feel like the biggest form of failure ever.
So, what does it feel like to approach God with confidence then? And how can we do it? If you’re like me, your record is never clean enough to enter a conversation with Him guilt-free. That’s why this scripture is so powerful!
“…approach God’s throne of grace with confidence…”
The word used for confidence in this verse means to have freedom in speaking without the need to conceal or hide anything. As His children, we are welcome to come to Him with cheerful courage and an assurance that we will be heard and accepted. We are encouraged, throughout scripture as well as right here in this verse, to be vulnerable in the way we relate to God— open— blunt even, with our requests and our gratitude. This is what confidence feels like. It feels like freedom and a bold certainty that God’s favor is forever set on you. But with shame always hovering near, how can we experience this kind of childlike, unhindered confidence?
“Let us then…”
The answer to how lies within these three little words, “Let us then…” This clue draws our attention back to what Paul just said in the previous verse. Jesus is empathetic toward our struggle. He doesn’t see our flaws and think: she’s ridiculous, how many times is she gonna make THAT mistake? She’ll never learn.
On the contrary, He knows what it’s like to walk this earth in skin and flesh, battling the very same temptations, fears and insecurities we all deal with. The difference is that He was able to overcome ALL OF THEM in a way we never could. When the author reminds his readers of this truth here, he’s not taunting them, as though to say, Look! Jesus is SO perfect and you will NEVER be like Him, Ha.
No!
He’s reminding his readers of the gospel: that Jesus’ perfection, His righteousness, is transferred to our account before God (Romans 4, Romans 5:18-19, Romans 10:4). We who trust in Jesus are— now and forevermore— clothed in His righteousness. So when we approach His throne room, when we enter a conversation with Him, we are no longer dressed in our own tattered, torn and soiled clothes of personal righteousness. We are clothed in the perfection of Christ Himself (Isaiah 61:10).
We are, and forever will be, forgiven. Accepted. Heard. Loved.
In our relationship with God, there’s no risk of failing when we accept Jesus’ righteousness as our own. Know that when you enter God’s presence, His desire is to help you in your time of need. That’s where confidence begins.
Sisters, come to the Father freely. Leave behind the instinct to hide. Let go of the urge to conceal your errors and shortcomings. Run to His throne of grace… His throne of GRACE… boldly and often, confident that you are welcome there, flaws and all.
We are His precious daughters, and because of the gospel, because we are clothed in His righteousness, WE ARE CONFIDENT.
For Your Journal
Find It:
In this portion of your journal, write out a Bible verse. You can find a verse that fits a current life situation or use the one we used in today’s devotion.
“Let us then 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.” —Hebrews 4:16
Fix It:
In this portion of your journal, pull out a few key words from the verse you chose above, or summarize the verse in your own words. Write it in pretty lettering or sketch something that will help you visualize the meaning of the verse and fix it in your mind. Repeat these words to yourself throughout the week to remind you of the truth contained in the scripture. Here are some options:
CONFIDENCE
Throne of Grace
Feel It:
In this portion of your journal, write out a prayer. The goal is to absorb the meaning of the Bible passage and let it take root in your heart. Ask the Lord to let his word change you by the power of his Spirit so that you begin to feel like the new person you’re becoming in Christ. Surrender any areas of your life that you are trying to control.
Father, thank you for sending Jesus to live the perfect life I could never live. I don’t want my fear of failure to form a chasm between you and me. The whole point of the gospel is that you already know I’m not perfect… and you provided a way for me to have a relationship with you in spite of that. Help me to remember that you empathize with my struggles and you desire to help me in my time of need. I will not be rejected by you, and because of that, I can walk in confidence. Help me to feel this confidence today. Amen.