Overcoming your nervousness about talking to Jesus
If you had lived in Galilee 2000 years ago and Jesus of Nazareth had walked up and started speaking to you, how might you have responded?
Many who chose to visit with Jesus benefited greatly from their encounter. While some were no doubt nervous at first, they quickly realized they had nothing to worry about. You can discover the same thing yourself. The grace of God can enable you to overcome your nervousness about talking to Jesus.
Some people assume Jesus is mad at them, which of course makes them apprehensive about approaching Him. Others feel like they are far too unworthy to talk to the Son of God. And still, others are nervous about talking to Jesus because they have never done it before and are afraid of saying the wrong thing.
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My friend, I assure you that you do not need to be nervous. Just be yourself, and feel free to be completely honest. Jesus would love for you to begin sharing your heart with Him, especially if you are troubled about some things in your life right now. Jesus is the master of helping people with their troubles.
In Matthew 11: 28-30, Jesus said,
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Millions of believers bring their sins, troubles, and burdens to Jesus every single day, and the difference it makes is enormous.
Evangelist D.L. Moody stated;
“A rule I have had for years is to treat the Lord Jesus as a personal friend. His is not a creed, a mere doctrine, but it is He Himself we have.”
You will never find a better friend than Jesus. You can talk to him about anything, anytime, and anywhere. But just as you must open your mouth to begin a conversation, you will need to open your heart in order to talk to Jesus. Dip your toes in the water, even if you are still feeling somewhat reluctant. You will quickly learn that talking to Jesus is as easy as breathing.
The late evangelist Oswald Chambers wrote, “The dearest friend on Earth is a mere shadow compared to Jesus Christ.”
Believing in Jesus is simple, and faith is the foundation of feeling comfortable in his presence. Once you trust Jesus to forgive your sins, your nervousness around the Lord goes away. Once you realize that you are accepted by him as a result of his death on the cross, you start to feel confident about going to him all the time with your concerns, failures, questions, and fears.
John Newton wrote these beautiful lyrics:
“How sweet the name of Jesus sounds in a believer’s ear! It soothes his sorrows, heals his wounds, and drives away his fear.”
If you have never talked to Jesus about your fears, you have no idea what it feels like to be able to go to the Lord with anything that is weighing your heart down. If you have been carrying a heavy load all by yourself for awhile now, you probably assume you are destined to carry your burdens alone.
I assure you my friend that you will never regret talking to Jesus about your troubles. But it will require that you step out into some new territory if you have never done it. And if you have talked to the Lord in the past, but have gotten away from it for one reason or another, this is the perfect time to renew your conversations with the King of Kings. There is nothing better than being reminded and assured that Jesus loves you with everlasting love.
Pastor Charles Stanley said,
“As you walk through the valley of the unknown, you will find the footprints of Jesus both in front of you and beside you.”
The world is not getting any calmer, and your heart may be churning just as rapidly as the daily news stories that constantly remind us of man’s need for God. We are a broken people. We have sinned against our Creator, and against one another. And yet God loves us dearly and sent his only Son to save us from our sins.
Pastor Tim Keller expressed these key insights:
“Jesus took the tree of death so you could have the tree of life.”
“You don’t realize Jesus is all you need until Jesus is all you have.”
“The basic purpose of prayer is not to bend God’s will to mine, but to mold my will into His."
May I suggest that you begin a simple conversation with Jesus in your own words, or with these words if this prayer helps to give you a jump-start:
“Lord Jesus, I am not really sure where to begin. This is new for me. I would like to get to know you, and I would like you to get to know me. Will you help me? Please remove my nervousness about talking to you, and please forgive my sins. Wash them away as far as the east is from the west. I want to be honest with you all the time, even when I have messed up. I desire to have an authentic relationship with you, my Creator and Redeemer. I want to trust you and talk to you about everything. Help me and guide me Lord. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. What a privilege to begin this journey with you Lord! I am so grateful that you love me Jesus. Amen."
Dan Delzell is the pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church in Papillion, Nebraska.
