Living from the Throne Room
How close are you ready to come to the heart of the Father?
Around 20 years ago I had an experience with God that has had a significant impact on how I see Him. In fact, I’d go so far to say that it contained a transformational message that wasn’t only for me, but also for anyone I encounter.
I’m not one who typically experiences visions or goes seeking for them. However, during worship one Sunday I had this image appear in my mind of standing in what I knew to be God’s Throne Room. God was sat on the throne in front of me, and He was so big that I could only see up to his knees — a fact that still makes me smile! The room was large, but I was the only person standing within it, enjoying being with God. Going around the outside of the room were corridors, and folks were walking along them. They were peaceful and happy, glad to be so close to God’s presence. They could see into the Throne Room through stone archways that were spaced out regularly around three sides of the room. But they didn’t come in. They kept on walking around the corridors, simply grateful that they were there.
So there’s me, stood alone in the room. And the one, clear message I wanted to tell them — to shout to them — was this: “you can come in! You can come right into the heart of the Father!”
I wanted them to know that they didn’t need to settle for being near to His presence, instead they could be fully in it, gazing up at Him, right close to Him.
It’s a message that’s stuck with me. It’s affected the way I worship and lead others in worship, and how I talk to God (and expect to hear from Him) because I know that I have — we all have — full permission to come right into the presence and heart of the Father.
I was thinking about it again today, and asked God some questions I don’t think I’ve previously raised with Him. ‘Why God were they on the outside? How have they only got so far?’ I wanted to understand why they settled for ‘near’ rather than ‘in’. I believe that these are the people who know intellectually that God has done everything for them — but who haven’t yet grasped that total forgiveness means an open invitation into the presence of God. There’s a lie hidden somewhere causing them to believe that their mess has been forgiven but that they’re still not good enough to come right on in. And, in fact, there was a shorter, second part to the encounter that highlights this. As I stood there, I became aware of one person who was to my left, but they were on their hands and knees, bowed low in shame towards the throne. They were wearing rags — or so they thought. I was encouraging them to get up, to look at God, to not stay there in embarrassment over their filthy state. But, when they eventually stood up and had courage to look at Him — to look right up at Him and no longer hide in shame — they found that their rags had been exchanged for garments that were pure, white, clean, perfect. They had been made new!
In my conversation with God about this encounter, I believe He was showing me that real appreciation and respect for what He has done for us doesn’t look like admiring His greatness from afar. It doesn’t look like gratefulness for sorting out our mess, whilst still holding ourselves imprisoned in shame for things He’s already forgiven. Instead, it looks like living in consistent awareness and thankfulness for all He thinks, does, and says over my life — past, present, and future. Because of what He has done for me, we can know His everlasting hope for our lives! And when we live from the place of His presence, we realise we have immediate access to His encouragement, His teaching, His wisdom, His direction, His resources, His comfort, His security, His joy, His hope, His correction… everything we will ever need to thrive in this world is available in His presence.
Let’s be children of the Presence. We really do belong in the heart — the intimate presence — of the Father. Let’s live from that truth. Let’s live in consistent awareness of our place in God, and let’s use that — and nothing else — as our point of security, of hope, of resource, and more.
Kathryn McComb works with Christian women to live a life brimming with faith, focus, freedom, and fun.
For more information you can find her on Instagram @Chosen_Loved_Free
