May 3, 2024

A friend of mine told me one time that he got a chance to meet the great evangelist, Billy Graham. He was part of a pre-crusade team that was helping to promote Graham’s upcoming event in his city. As he stood in line to shake the great preacher’s hand, he thought of all the things he wanted to say. But when it was his turn to meet Dr. Graham, he was so nervous all he could get out was, “God bless you, Billy Graham!” As Billy moved on to meet others, he said he felt like an idiot. There were so many questions he wanted to ask. So many things he wanted to say. After the meeting, he had a second opportunity to meet him. He lined it out in his mind. He practiced it over and over again. Suddenly, there he was! Billy Graham was standing in front of him, reaching out to shake his hand. My friend said his mind went blank, and all he could come up with was, “God bless you, Billy Graham!”
Have you ever been in the presence of someone “great” and get shaken up like that? There is a bit of a sense of awe that we get when we meet a celebrity or a sports star or someone famous. It’s easy to become dry-mouthed and tongue-tied. Certainly, people like Billy Graham have earned the right to be respected and honored.
Do you feel the same way when you come into the presence of God? Maybe we should. Even though Jesus teaches us to come to God as our “Father,” He also teaches us to come with an awareness of who this Father is. He is God Almighty. He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He is The One who created us and The Judge before whom we will one day stand. He is approachable, kind, loving, and gracious. But He is also All-Powerful, All-Knowing, and All-Wise. We can come without fear because He is our Abba (“Daddy”) who invites us into His Presence. But it should be with an awareness that we are there ONLY because He has deemed it so.
Coming before God should invoke a dynamic tension within us. A comfort of being welcomed, coupled with an awareness of just who this is that we are so comfortable with. Because of Jesus, we are free to call upon His Name. But let us never forget that it is The Name above all names! Simply because God has made Himself approachable, we should never forget that He has not made Himself ordinary. Let us come with the expectation, joy, and faith of children. But let us also come with the humility of knowing we are talking to The One who alone is worthy of awe. The One who makes even the great Billy Graham get tongue-tied. That’s God’s Word for you today.