An Audience With the King

As I stated in other posts, sometimes words or phrases will seem to ‘jump out’ at me, causing the wheels of my inner beings to stir. And so it was yesterday morning in a telephone conversation with a dear friend, for as she spoke the words, “I have an audience with the King,” my spirit leaped within me. I asked if I might use her words, and she said, “Yes!”

In our limited thinking, we consider ‘having an audience’ in terms of being granted permission to be in the presence of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II or His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI. In both cases, such permission is granted by request of the ‘commoner’, and in the case of the Queen of England, as she desires.

In order to be in the presence of the Pope, it is quite an undertaking. The papal staff must have at least two weeks notice through a written letter from a bishop or a well-known layperson, detailing when you will be in Rome. When the audience is granted, a letter is sent, and then you submit a letter of acceptance to the Vatican. Only then is an invitation sent, with the time and date determined by the papal staff…Wednesday is the only day of the week for an audience with the Pope.

So...the big day arrives, and if you have not been assured of reserved seating, you must arrive early, standing in line for at least two hours, so as to have good viewing of the Pope as he delivers his Wednesday morning sermon.

To make things easier, there is a Website set up so that one need not go through the process of a long line and limited view. All you have to do is book a tour with a Vatican authorized agency, and for 259,000 euro, you may visit the museums and inner sanctum of the Vatican, and be ushered in early to gain supreme seating.

Even in this, you are not granted a private, one on one, face to face, eyeball to eyeball, personal audience with the Pope.

But then you look heavenward, where you view the Throne Room of the Most High God. John said he saw a throne, and one sitting on the throne (Revelation 4:2). It is He who extends the invitation, “Come unto me.” You don’t have to request an audience…all you have to do is enter in.

The Lord doesn’t ask that you go through a long process of mediators and emissaries paving the way. You don’t have to spend a boatload of money seeking an entrance into His presence, or ask for preferential treatment because of some feat you have performed. All you have to do is enter in.

You are ushered into His presence through worship and praise. As you kneel in the presence of the King, you are expressing your faith and trust in a God who does all things well, and showing humility and reverence for His sovereignty. You don’t have to quickly kneel and rise as to make way for the masses who garner His attention. He invites you to linger in His presence and receive the fullness of His joy and rest. Take your time, for this is an audience with the King!

While it is fitting to give an offering when you come into His presence, the Lord doesn’t ask for a monetary gift. The reason for this is that a person might give an offering, hoping their outward show of obeisance gains them favor. All too often, however, such a mindset is not based on relationship with the Master, but on selfish gain. They are not seeking communion...as it was with Ananias and Sapphira in the first century Church, the individual wants the attention and 15 minutes of fame that grandstanding provides.

The Lord only asks that you offer your body a living sacrifice, giving yourself wholly to Him. Our God is a jealous God who doesn’t want us distracted by other voices…when we are in His presence, nothing else matters. That’s when you know you have found true intimacy with the Lord…when all else is blocked out, and all you can see is His face...when His voice is the only voice that you long to hear…when you would rather die in your tracks than disappoint the Lover of your soul, then you know you have gained an audience with the King.

This audience with the King of Kings and Lord of Lords is a personal one. Though He may be meeting with zillions of people at the same moment you enter in, the magnificence of it is that His full attention is centered on you, at the same time neglecting no one. His love so envelopes your total being, you are convinced you are the only one in His heavenly court.

The Lord doesn’t speak in general terms, but His words are precise, speaking to the point of your need. He extends endless love, bestows blessing and favor, binds and heals wounds, speaks peace to a worried mind and troubled heart, gives answers to difficult questions, grants the desires of your heart, makes the way plain, puts the missing pieces to the puzzle in place, brings reassurance that all is well.

As my friend said, "What an honor! What a privilege!" Just to think that the God of all creation opens the door of the Throne Room, and tenderly says, "Come and sit with me in heavenly places!" What an honor and privilege indeed!

This is an experience that money cannot buy, and the wonderful thing about it is this…it doesn’t have to be a once in a lifetime event, for anytime of the day or night we can have an audience with the King.

As the songwriter so beautifully stated, One night with the King changes everything!

All we have to do is enter in…