We come into the presence of God as believers in prayer with great forwardness, uninhibited, unimpeded. Prayer is a tremendous blessing. The unbeliever cannot do this, but if we have believed in Christ and repented of our sin and yielded our lives to him and he has changed us and blessed us and made us his people, then we have boldness, outspokenness and nothing can prevent us.
‘Access’ means freedom of approach. Doesn’t sin hinder me? It may be that I have sinned against the Lord and I am cast down in shame, and I feel, ‘How can I approach God?’ Does this hinder me, can I still be outspoken? Yes, indeed. I will come into his presence. I will call upon my Father in the name of Jesus Christ. Even my sin does not impede me, if I come with repentance, asking for cleansing, because in my mind’s eye I see him, the Lord of glory, Jesus Christ hanging there on Calvary’s Cross and he bore my sin away and he took away the punishment, so that I could have unrestricted access into the presence of the Father. So we always come boldly and we cry out for forgiveness, for blessing, for help, whatever our need. In Christ, because of what he has done, by the faith of him, through his atoning death, we have boldness, outspokenness and liberty of approach to God our Father.
Can our feelings hinder us? It may be that I feel spiritually cold; it may be that the feelings system is not co-operating and I do not feel my joy and peace as a believer. Does this mean I cannot pray, because I do not feel his presence, or his love? No, I still may come with boldness and call upon him, because if I only pray with my head, as a believer, and my intellect and my feelings refuse to work, he is still the same and he hears me and blesses me. That is what Christ has purchased for me.
Has God changed his heart? Has he become cool towards me? Will he not hear me? Is he going to change his mind and not keep his promises? Impossible! So in Christ, trusting in him and his shed blood and his having taken the punishment of sin for us, we have freedom of access and we are outspoken in prayer – not outspoken in the sense that we are confident and flippant and light, because we may be burdened with sin and repenting and coming to him for help urgently – but outspoken in the sense that we know we will be heard. It is his promise, it is what he has accomplished for us and we trust in Christ.