He Makes A Way

 Hello Bride of Christ, 

When I became a believer in Jesus Christ I had a preconception about prayer. Prayer I had misunderstood as either a method of dealing with crises or a way to delay making a decision. Not that prayer does not impact situations to the point of allowing God to intervene and make a way we did not see even possible. We have seen this in our observations of the Red Sea encounter. Yes, prayer does help you get clarity to make a decision so the statement "let me pray about it" in and of itself is not wrong. But is that it? Is that really why God created prayer? 

God's Heart

Join me today in the old testament where we will look at God's heart for prayer. Let us read Exodus chapter 30 verses 1 through 10. 

“You shall make an altar to burn incense on; you shall make it of acacia wood.  A cubit shall be its length and a cubit its width—it shall be square—and two cubits shall be its height. Its horns shall be of one piece with it. And you shall overlay its top, its sides all around, and its horns with pure gold; and you shall make for it a molding of gold all around. Two gold rings you shall make for it, under the molding on both its sides. You shall place them on its two sides, and they will be holders for the poles with which to bear it. You shall make the poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold. And you shall put it before the veil that is before the ark of the Testimony, before the mercy seat that is over the Testimony, where I will meet with you. “Aaron shall burn on it sweet incense every morning; when he tends the lamps, he shall burn incense on it. And when Aaron lights the lamps at twilight, he shall burn incense on it, a perpetual incense before the Lord throughout your generations. You shall not offer strange incense on it, or a burnt offering, or a grain offering; nor shall you pour a drink offering on it.  And Aaron shall make atonement upon its horns once a year with the blood of the sin offering of atonement; once a year he shall make atonement upon it throughout your generations. It is most holy to the Lord.”

At first glance we can become overwhelmed to the point of boredom reading these instructions the Lord gives Moses with every detail of this altar of incense. However upon a closer look we will find Jesus and God's heart of prayer. 

This altar of incense and sweet aroma before the Lord that is to burn perpetually is symbolic of our prayers. In the new testament Revelation 5:8 John pens there are golden bowls of incense which are the prayers of the saints. God desired for this altar of incense to be a physical representation of our prayers. The beauty of it is what this altar of incense was made of... wood like the cross Jesus bore for us, gold like Jesus purity holiness, with a horn where blood would be shed to make atonement like Jesus blood shed on the cross, with a mercy seat like Jesus forgiveness and intercession made for us on the cross,  protected by a veil which Jesus sacrifice tore from top to bottom giving us direct access to God. All for what? Was this just a religious homage? 

Not at all. 

God shared all this with Moses and us because as He said, "where I will meet with you" (vs6). Prayer is a place God desires to meet with us. Thanks to Jesus who became the gold covered wood and blood atonement for us so that we may come before the mercy seat continually with our prayer lamps burning without ceasing. May this forever change our hearts towards prayer. 

Prayer is not just a way to have the impossible turn to the possible or a means to get clarity, but ultimately prayer is God's means to spend time with us. To simply be with us and us with Him. 

Bride of Christ, may you not let another moment go by prayerless, but may you enter into His gates with thanksgiving and simply be with your loving God because He desires to be with you.