Jun 2
The Mystery of Incense & Prayer (III)
“But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. … do not use vain repetitions … For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.” Matthew 6:6-8
The Altar of Incense, which is also the Golden Altar is all that stands between you and the Veil or the entering into the final Room f Mystery. Why prayer is so important in the grand scheme of things is deeply puzzling. It’s almost as if God knows what you need, yet He requires you to ask so He is justified in giving you what you ask. To make the matter even more complex, He places the very matter that you need to request of Him into your heart and mind so you are insured of asking Him what He longs to give you.
REWARDS AND VAIN REPETITIONS
Thus to use vain repetitions is empty prayer. The repetitive nature of this type of prayer places your thoughts or your will above His will. This type of prayer indicates that you believe God has to be coerced into responding to you. Yet, think about it. If God already knows what you need before you ask, then He must be paying attention to you. Attention is a form of love - therefore the reasoning of God is that true prayer deserves a response. Perhaps you will receive even more than a response – yes, as Jesus said, “a reward.” To pray then, is so important to God that He promises you a reward for doing so.
That reward is more than an answer to your prayer, it is the reception of a greater measure of faith. It is amazing how much faith is generated when you see God answer your prayer. Each answered prayer then builds faith that God will answer your next prayer. Faith propels the actions of God on your behalf.
INCREASED MEASURES OF FAITH
Conversely, not to pray is a guarantee that you will experience a decreasing level of faith. To not pray will eventually play out in you becoming more critical, skeptical, and antagonistic. Additionally, you will eventually justify those feeling because you have first hand experience - God does not answer prayer. The result is that you will live a lifeless, boring, and fruitless existence; one in which you leap back and forth from one activity on to seeming endless activities looking for the thrill that only answered prayer can bring. We have a genetic and spiritual propensity to need the excitement that only comes when what we ask is answered, and in its fulfillment could only have been accomplished by a force greater than us – God.
THE SECRET PLACE OF PRAYER
Finally, the secret place we must enter into is equivalent to the very Room of Mystery, the Holy Place that you are standing in right now as you proceed forward on this journey through the Tabernacle. When Jesus said you are to enter into “your room” He was paralleling the secret place of prayer with the Holy Place in the Tabernacle. He was also paralleling the Secret Place of God from whence He will see you pray, as being the next Room of Mystery where the Ark of the Covenant and the Mercy Seat are located.
Perhaps it is becoming clear that prayer is so important to God that no one has consistent and continued access to Him without it.
Blessings,
John Paul
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Job 12:10 In whose hand is the life of every living thing, And the breath of all mankind?
Isaiah 46:8-11, 1 John 2:14, John 17
We have a genetic and spiritual propensity to need the excitement that only comes when what we ask is answered and in its fulfillment could only have been accomplished by a force greater than us – God.
Prayer aside, how often we go from excitement to excitement when the wonder of God by a revelation dies, as long as this happens we are ever seeking to know Him. We know Him, then the wonder dies, then we seek to know Him more, it goes on & on… Its knowing God.
Everywhere in the scriptures we see a little bit of God hidden in plain sight. But how often someone can read the scriptures and yet not see God revealed…though He is seen in that verse.
In life, we can gain an understanding of the things of God by observing everyday things. But how often someone can live and yet not see God’s kingdom…though nature and the world speaks of God.
“But we all with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord” 2 Cor. 3:18
To me the secret place (closet, place behind the stairs)
is like the chrysalis stage during metamorphosis.
When you enter this stage, only you and God knows what is going on inside your little cocoon. It is where you develop your intimacy with the Lord. God begins removing the veil and you begin to seek the face of your Beloved.
If you don’t fight the process, but yield to God He will teach you how to pray His prayers. He is the greatest intercessor of all and is ever interceding for us. Hallelujah!!!
As you stay locked away with Him, you learn to go from being in awkward positions in approaching Him to eventually finding true fellowship and friendship with Him. You find that you go from kneeling on your knees—to developing a heart that constantly stays in a kneeling position—even when you are standing, walking, driving, etc.
You don’t let go of the awe and reverence of being in His Presence, but you enjoy your special secret place fellowship with your Beloved and He with you. There is so much He will teach you about love and loving others through prayer.
For the last six months my family and I have been traveling about an hour drive away to a small church for Revival services, and we have been experiencing the rooms of mystery at these Revival services and it has been quite something. Just last night we were told that there is a guest speaker coming in the middle of June and he is sending the Ark of the Covenant before him. At first I didn’t understand what he meant, but now I do believe it is an actual replica of the Art, minus the real gold and such of course, he uses this replica of the Art in teaching, this is getting really good and yet very mysterious. SELAH!
Just found coffee talk, sorry if I am off topic a bit. Just starting blogs about light and have questions also about the responsibility of being salt:
-Is there actually an established ratio (re: Abraham negotiations)? Always assumed he could have gone further…
-As the Lord increases territory in prayer, does the reach of a Christian to negotiate for neighbors, cities, states, nations, etc. also increase?
-Are light and salt integral to each other (or actually the same thing?) establishing some sort of base of authority to even begin a negotiation with the Lord?
-I live in LA, CA — recently we are concerned about San Francisco (i.e., words from Wendy Alec and Chuck Pierce). While asking for Mercy is one thing, in the face of apparently pronounced judgement, I am wondering if negotiation is available. If so, where does qualification to negotiate begin?
-Bob Jones once mentioned that the Lord would not allow him to pray to break a drought in an area for a time. Where is the line in this?
-Recently in our prayer time my pastor mentioned again that God is often a weeping judge. We could all feel in prayer regarding San Francisco that with cries for Mercy from everywhere coming in, His heart “almost seems torn.” Any thoughts on this?
Sorry for the marathon blog — one question keeps leading to another. Thank you…I hope I am making sense.
“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places……Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace: above all, taking the shield of faith which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;
praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.”
Eph. 6:10-18
Jesus life was continuous prayer 24/7. We are to follow His example. As we grow in maturity as intercessors and watchmen, we are given more responsibility and authority to war.
Satan never asked Jesus who He was? Satan did not ask Paul who he was? He knew who they were and that they were backed up with God’s authority.
We pray for all situations, but we only go to war, when we have the unction from the Spirit that God is warring through us. Jesus power and authority to act came because He only did what His Father told Him to do.
J. Ebbert, continue to pray for San Francisco and ask God for His wisdom on what to pray for. Ask Him to equip you for the task.
A watchman on the wall,
Linda
PS Have you read John Paul’s book on “Needless Casualties of War” ?