There is an amazing section of scripture in the Old Testament that talks about three important words all starting with the letter A. It is not a portion of scripture that I am overly familiar with, it seems a bit obscure, the message however is very applicable and comforting. The prophet Zechariah is given a vision of Joshua the high priest in the third chapter of Zechariah. During the ten verses of this chapter we learn that:
Zechariah 3:1 Satan Accuses
Zechariah 3:6 Jesus Assures
Zechariah 3:7 Jesus gives Access
Satan is the Father of Lies and one of his methods of attacks is to accuse us. He accuses us of all sorts of different things: guilt and shame from past mistakes, creating doubt that God is in control, or that God is good or able or with us. He makes accusations saying things like, "If you have enough faith you wouldn't ever worry." Or, "If you were a "good" Christian you would always be happy." Or "You don't need anybody, you are fine all on your own." He has been doing this since the very beginning of creation when he created doubt in Adam and Eve by asking, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?" Genesis 3:1
Jesus steps in and assures Joshua. And Jesus steps in and assures us. He is with us. He is working even when we can not see it. Kind of like the moon, when we only see a sliver, or half, we know that the whole, full moon is still there. Jesus has conquered Satan, on the cross and with the empty tomb. And when we praise God he is silenced! (Psalm 8:2) We are assured of Jesus' perfect and sustaining love. We can trust Him completely because he is 100% trustworthy as he has kept every single promise he has ever made. He assures us that we are worth full value not because of anything we have done, but all because of what he has done. He assures us we are loved.
And Jesus gives us access to the Father. He has made a way back to God for us with his death on the cross and satisfying the payment for our sin. When he died on that cross, the curtain was ripped in two, nothing standing in the way of us going directly to our Father in heaven with our requests and thanksgiving. We don't have to wait in line, he is never too busy to listen. We don't have to know enough, be wealthy enough, look good enough, we ALL have access to be his child, to enjoy his friendship, to live with him forever.
Knowing this, how will I respond? The words from the song "Build My Life" sung by Housefires come to mind:
Holy there is no one like you, there is none beside you, open up my eyes in wonder.
And show me who you are and fill me with your heart and lead me in your love to those around me.
I will build my life upon your love it is a firm foundation.
I will put my trust in you alone and I will not be shaken.
May you be filled with hope as you silence the accuser and listen to the One who assures you and gives you complete access to your Creator and Heavenly Father. Be filled with peace as you fix your thoughts and minds on Jesus.