“In whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him.” – Ephesians 3:12

Could it be any simpler?

Close your eyes and talk to God.

And yet, we don’t do it enough.

Perhaps we think it’s too easy.

It is truly an act of faith.

Do you believe and know that when you pray, God is listening?

Psalm 4:1 says, “Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have relieved me in my distress Have mercy on me and hear my prayer.”

So if you speak either out loud or to yourself and God can hear you, that means He must be awfully close!

Too many of us have this impression that God is a far way off in Heaven with harps and clouds.

But Jesus and John the Baptist both said, “The kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Jesus also said, “I am with you always…”

Until you are born again and God’s Spirit lives inside of you, it is very difficult to grasp the closeness of God.

I believe this truth is why the Church, on the whole, doesn’t pray as we should.

We still tend to see God as a far off and detached from our everyday world.

But He wants you to draw close to Him every second of every day.

Three Steps to Accessing to God

Matthew 7:7-8 says, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.

Jesus encourages us to be persistent in our prayers—to ask, seek, and knock.

Here you can see a progression of gradually drawing closer to God through prayer.

First You Ask:

Your requests are either things you need, or things you want.

You don’t receive certain prayers when you ask for the things you want that are out of God’s will.

“You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.” – James 4:3

But, when your prayers align with God’s will…powerful things happen.

“And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.” John 14:13-14

Secondly, You Seek God’s will:

If your prayers are aligned with God’s will, they will be answered by Him.

As you may have already discovered there are three answers we receive from God, “yes”, “no” or “wait”.

“I waited patiently for the LORD; and He inclined to me, and heard my cry.” – Psalm 40:1

Thirdly, You knock:

The implication from our Lord is that you’re knocking on a door.

Doors are meant to be opened.

We don’t knock on walls.

We knock on doors with a certain degree of expectation.

“Lord you know my heart, I’m asking you for favor. Lord I am seeking your will. And if this is Your will, God will you make a way for this to happen?”

Do you see in the progression that as you ask, seek, and knock, you’re actually drawing closer to God?

Bringing your requests, seeking His will, and knocking on the door of His heart.

The Bible says, “draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” – James 4:8

Key Takeaway

Jesus is always with you.

This truth should affect your behavior.

Getting closer to a holy God is a double edged sword.

It’s convicting as your sins are constantly revealed to you.

But it’s also a blessing because the more you are with Jesus, the more you’ll desire to be like Him.

Oh! to be like Thee, oh! to be like Thee,
Blessed Redeemer, pure as Thou art;
Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;
Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.
What a worthy cry that is for all followers of Jesus Christ!

“In whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him.” – Ephesians 3:12

Here again in Ephesians 3:12, the word states that we first have boldness in Christ.

“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 4:16

And here is the reason you can have boldness: Jesus gives you access to the throne of grace.

Jesus’ death on the cross gave you direct access to our Father in Heaven.

So you can have boldness and confidence that your prayers are heard by God!

Because Jesus made a way.

“Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom, and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split.” Matthew 27:51

The veil was torn.

You can enter boldly into the Holy of Holies.

Praise God!

Therefore, discover all over again the joy of knowing the love of Christ through the simple act of bowing your heart to Him in gratitude and bringing your requests.

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Thank you, Lord, for the access we have to You by your finished work on the cross.

Amen.