Approaching the Throne of God with Confidence
by Tiffany Thomas
While at the MTC, my teacher entered the room and said, “On my way here, I was almost hit by a bus. And that’s okay, because if I had been, I know I would go to the Celestial Kingdom.”
I remember thinking, Wow, how arrogant!
I could tell the other missionaries felt similarly. But then he continued, “I know this, not because I am perfect, but because every single day I try to keep the commandments. And every night, I repent of my sins. That’s all the Savior asks of us.”
Later, Elder Jorg Klebingat of the Seventy gave a talk in the October 2014 General Conference “Approaching the Throne of God with Confidence.” It reinforced what my MTC teacher had said.
Alma 5:15-18 says to imagine ourselves in front of the throne of God. Will we be looking forward to it with excitement? Or will we tremble in fear, with a remembrance of our unrepented sins?
What makes the difference?
Like many women, I struggle with self-confidence. I grew up believing confidence and pride were the same. True humility, I thought, was recognizing my imperfections. I struggled to accept compliments, instead pointing out my many shortcomings.
Then I received a blessing that said that I had a combination of arrogance and insecurity, both of which would prevent me from reaching my capacity. Insecurity, the blessing instructed, is a form of pride.
The Guide to the Scriptures says, “A proud person … follows his own will rather than God’s will.”
When I put myself down, I’m not viewing myself the way God does. Instead, I’m putting my own personal viewpoints (or viewpoints of the world) above how God sees me – as His cherished, beloved daughter.
You can be both humble and confident! But how do we do that?
Let’s look at the example of Brigham Young:
In the presence of a rather large group of brethren, the Prophet severely chastised Brother Brigham for some failing in his duty. Everyone, I suppose somewhat stunned, waited to see what Brigham’s response would be. After all, Brigham, who later became known as the Lion of the Lord, was no shrinking violet by any means. Brigham slowly rose to his feet, and in words that truly reflected his character and his humility, he simply bowed his head and said, “Joseph, what do you want me to do?” (see Truman G. Madsen, “Hugh B. Brown—Youthful Veteran,” New Era, Apr. 1976, 16).
Hebrews 4:16 tells us, “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy.”
The Savior has promised forgiveness when we repent. If we come to Him and repent of our sins, do we believe His promise that He will forgive us?
Ether 12:4 states, “ Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith.”
Here’s what we need to do in order to approach the throne of God with confidence:
- Believe the Savior and trust that His Atonement works.
- Let that belief turn into faith, where we act on those beliefs by striving our best to keep the commandments and repenting each time we don’t.
- Let that faith turn into hope – hope for a place at the right hand of God because of your faith.
When I was a child, my mother signed me up for piano lessons. Each week, I would go to my lesson and come home with assigned practice. If I practiced every day, I could play in the piano recital.
I was not the most talented pianist. But not once did my mother ask me to pay her back for the lessons – all she asked was that I practiced, and if I messed to try again.
My participation in the concert was not dependent on a perfect performance; instead, the condition was to merely practice every day. Improvement (and progress towards perfection) came as a natural result of that practice. When it came time for the recital, I played with confidence (even though I still made a few mistakes).
That’s how the Atonement works!
The Savior paid the price for our sins, just as my mother paid for lessons.
He does not ask us to be perfect – instead, He asks to practice keeping His commandments and repent when we fail.
Entering the Celestial Kingdom doesn’t depend on perfection, but rather the effort we made to obey and repent each day.
But this takes the humility to not only recognize our imperfections, but also to acknowledge that we must change. Just living life without effort to change isn’t practice, just as sitting at the piano without playing isn’t rehearsal.
Trust the Lord in Ether 12:37 when He says: “thou hast been faithful; wherefore, thy garments shall be made clean. And because thou hast seen thy weakness thou shalt be made strong, even unto the sitting down in the place which I have prepared in the mansions of my Father.”
Confidence is not arrogance, neither is humility insecurity. Be humble and confident at the same time, and you can look forward to that day when you appear before the Father, certain of your place at His side in the kingdom of Heaven.