A Royal Invitation
When's the last time you were invited to visit with a king or a queen? Probably never.When Queen Esther was challenged to go to the King on behalf of the children of Israel, she reminded Mordecai that it was illegal for her to approach the King unless he asked for her.You can be sure that, when President and Mrs. Obama visited with Queen Elizabeth, they received an invitation. And not just anyone was invited to the recent royal wedding.Yet our King, the God of the universe, has extended an open invitation to us to call on Him: Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done (Psalm 105:1).Throughout Scripture God’s chosen leaders knew to call on His name in their time of need:Abram: There he built an altar to the LORD and called on the name of the LORD (Gen 12:8).Isaac: Isaac built an altar there and called on the name of the LORD (Gen 26:25).Elijah: Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the LORD (1 Kings 18:24).Our Savior, the Lord Jesus, gives us the same invitation:Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete (John 16:24).The writer of Hebrews assures us:Let us then approach the 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).And the Holy Spirit goes with us as we accept the invitation:In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express (Romans 8:26).So what are we waiting for? An invitation? We already have it.God is on His throne, waiting for us to accept, to come. His arms are open, ready to welcome us. His ear is attuned, eager to listen. His heart is open, desiring to respond.Let us come into His presence, bringing our worship, thanks and requests, with boldness and confidence, for He desires to be with us.