In the picture you can see that we are driving on a smooth, paved road. Just ahead on the left is a gravel driveway. You can’t see where it goes. It doesn’t look very inviting. To be honest, as you begin to travel down the driveway, the access road, you may even wonder if this is where you are supposed to be.

I usually send friends a picture of the driveway when they come to visit the farm the first time. The GPS takes you past the access road and announces “the destination is on the left” in the wrong location. No driveway, no road, no access. See, you have to drive down the access road to get to the final destination. The access road has a locked gate. We invite you to come, but we have to unlock the gate. As you drive up the first hill and back down, you are surrounded by the forest. It’s overgrown and wild. Almost everyone who comes to visit has wondered if they were in the right place and even wondered if they might be in danger of getting shot by some angry homeowner at the intruder driving on their property. I was on the phone with my friend, Kim, when she was afraid she was lost. I was a little afraid she had taken the wrong road too. Then she crested the ridge and her reaction to the view affirmed that she was indeed on the right road. It happens time after time.

Access to God

So, one day as I was riding out to lock the gate, God began dealing with me about the access road. What once was the reason we had hesitated to purchase the property has become one of my favorite things about the farm. Spring has brought wildflowers and blackberry blossoms all along the road. Turkey, deer and rabbits playing along the edge of the access road. Isn’t it just like God to turn something scary and challenging into something you treasure? Sometimes you have to go down a road you didn’t want to travel but it’s worth it when you get to that final destination. We all want access, right?

We want access to God. It’s true, we all want access to God:

When trouble comes,

when cancer comes,

when death comes,

when job loss comes,

when fear grips us,

when tornadoes come,

when our kids are hurt,

when people let us down,

when life devastates us.

So Much More

But, do we want God to have access to us? To have full access to us? That might require more than we want. But when we open our hearts to Him, when we allow Him to have ACCESS- FULL ACCESS to us- He will guide us through the troubled times. He will walk with you through the Cancer- giving you a peace like you’ve never known! He will give you grace to endure the loss of that precious loved one. He will see you through the job loss and restore what was taken with so much more! He will show you the absolute best of human nature in natural disaster. He will be there. But more than that, He will change you. He will change your vision. You will see things differently. He will change your hearing. He will speak to you in the stillness. He will change your heart. You will love like never before. He will change your mind. You will dwell in the peace of God Himself. He will change your whole life. It won’t be perfect. But it won’t matter if you have Him and He has you.

My prayer for you today is that you will have access to God. Not just when trouble comes, but daily access to God. More than that, I pray that you will give God access to you. Say it. Pray it. “God I want you to have access to me. God I want you to have access to my eyes, to my ears, to my mind, to my heart. I give YOU full access to change me and make me who YOU want me to be. I’m yours Lord. I give myself to you. Remove anything in me that keeps you from access to my life. Lord, here’s my life.”

 

What the Bible Says:

Psalm 73:28 But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds.

Ephesians 3: 1 For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles—2 Surely you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that was given to me for you, 3 that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly. 4 In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5 which was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets. 6 This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.7 I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power. 8 Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ, 9 and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. 10 His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, 11 according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. 12 In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence. 13 I ask you, therefore, not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which are your glory.14 For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. 16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV® Used by Permission of Biblica, Inc.® All rights reserved worldwide.Learn More About New International Version

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