I had never thought that I was at war with God while I was growing up. It wasn’t until I started to read the scriptures that I saw that my life being lived contrary to God’s will. He was faithful to discipline me. My war with God lasted about 30 years but when I surrendered I was done fighting. I gladly surrendered. No more retreating or peace talks. Only unconditional surrender. Dr Sproul is absolutely correct when he said that now we must come to Him remembering two things. One is who He is and two who we are. I am now surrendered to a Holy God who has accepted me totally as His child. We come to Him in confidence; we come to Him in boldness; we have access. We have a holy peace.

I had never thought that I was at war with God while I was growing up. It wasn’t until I started to read the scriptures that I saw that my life being lived contrary to God’s will. He was faithful to discipline me. My war with God lasted about 30 years but when I surrendered I was done fighting. I gladly surrendered. No more retreating or peace talks. Only unconditional surrender. Dr Sproul is absolutely correct when he said that now we must come to Him remembering two things. One is who He is and two who we are. I am now surrendered to a Holy God who has accepted me totally as His child. We come to Him in confidence; we come to Him in boldness; we have access. We have a holy peace.

Yes Tom, access to our holy God, thank you Jesus for leaving us such a “legacy, along with the first fruit of justification, peace/shalom – and that awful emptiness is filled, our hearts may be still.” But we know it’s a remarkable peace, not as the world gives but the kind as a favorite song reminds me, where I can ‘sleep peacefully with answers out of reach from me.’
We, like Job, “long to be justified, hopefully without suggesting that perhaps God has done evil, casting a shadow over divine wisdom by his(our) own ignorance. Yet we’re not satisfied with answers or words but with God Himself, able to live comfortably with unanswered questions”-faith, resting absolutely in God’s sovereignty!
This peace should be evident in our lives as we worship Him with our whole hearts, our all.

I love the imagery in Jacob’s ladder dream of the angels ascending to and descending from heaven- Jesus is that all access ladder! Like Jacob “we must know what it means to fight with God all night if we are also to know what it means to experience the sweetness of the soul’s surrender; surrendering our name, soul and relinquishing control and authority over our own life. (And to conclude with) Surely the Lord was (is) in this place and I wasn’t (we aren’t always) aware of it.” He gives us a new awareness, new name and identity, we are born again, praise Him!

“We can feel welcome in the presence of God.” What an amazing privilege that we have access to God – to approach His throne of grace with confidence and boldness. The interaction with Job in particular is one of my favorites when it comes to unanswered questions. That God didn’t respond with words answering his questions, but with Himself. Job was satisfied with that and found much needed peace in leaving all of the details in God’s hands. It keeps my perspective in place reminding me who God is and who I am.