Tabernacle Prayer
ALTAR OF SACRIFICE
Tabernacle Prayer is a place of slowly entering into intimacy with the Lord. There is a step-by-step process that we must go through so we can have the ability to meet face-to-face with the Lord of all Creation, the King of the Universe. As we follow this Tabernacle Prayer, Holy Spirit draws us, sifts through us, and prepares us to meet with the King. I keep getting a picture of the book of Esther, all of the processes she had to go through in order to meet with the king. So it is with each and every one of us. Too often in our prayers we barge into the Throne Room of God covered in our “stuff”, the filth of this world. We disrespect the One Who we want to have conversation with. Of course the Lord is our Heavenly Father and we as His children can and should go to Him each and every moment of our lives, no matter where we’ve been or what we’ve done. He is our Father, standing at the window looking for us to come up the hill, just as the father looked for his prodigal son in the Gospels.
But there is a protocol to follow before we can truly enter into the fullness of the Throne Room of God. Our study and prayer through the Tabernacle on Monday nights is bringing us into a fuller understanding of this protocol. As we follow these steps, we find our hearts, souls and spirits are being prepared. No longer do we find ourselves barging in. We are becoming more sensitive to the vastness and the magnificence of Who God is. As we follow these steps, we find ourselves being molded, changed, conformed to HIS image and not to the world or even the “church” image of what we may believe a Christian should look and act like.
The Outer Court, as with Esther, is a place of preparation. This is a place where we must learn to submit ourselves to the Lord’s “beauty treatments”. Adonai wants us purified, cleansed, changed from the inside out and dressed in HIS robes of righteousness, not our own “clothing” of works.
The Tabernacle Prayer will make you much more sensitive to the all that had to be done so you can have the ability to enter into HIS Presence. Tabernacle Prayer will open your eyes even more fully to the Word of God. Nuances of Scripture will suddenly take on a greater meaning as you pray through the Tabernacle continually.
The Altar of Sacrifice –
Or the Brazen Altar is a place of redemption, a place of salvation. Suddenly our senses are assaulted with the cost of what was paid for the invitation to invite us in. We cannot go any further until we come to the realization that we have permission to be here only through the Blood. We want to turn our heads away and not look at this violently bloody place, but as we gaze upon it, we suddenly see the LOVE; the vastness of the Mighty Love Adonai has for each of us. Adonai gave His all for us. All HE asks of us is to say yes. Yeshua Jesus loves us so much that He willingly went to the Cross. Yeshua became that Sacrificial Lamb for once and for all……for me!! For you!!
We can go no further except through the Cross. We can’t go around it. We can’t sidestep it. We have to go through it. There is no other way. There is no other door. We can’t make it pretty. We can’t make it tidy. We have to receive the Blood. We have to receive the entire Price that was paid for us. Otherwise we are never able to enter in.
“The Living Bread I give you is My Body, which I will offer as sacrifice….” John 6:51B TPT
Jesus is our Sacrificial Lamb. Over 2,000 years ago it had to be only the “kohanim”, the Levitical Priests who could put this Lamb to death. It was the priests who stirred up the crowds to shout out to Pontius Pilate: “His blood be upon us and upon our children!” (Matthew 27:25) In a sense, they all, as we have to, receive the Blood of Jesus our Sacrificial Lamb as the price for the penalty of our sins – though at the time they didn’t even know what they were saying. It had to be only the priests who had the authority to accuse and condemn Yeshua Jesus to death; this was part of their priestly function in their sacrifice of the Lamb. And, the Lamb’s Blood had to be sprinkled upon the people. They had to receive His Blood; we have to receive the Sacrificial Lamb’s Blood for the propitiation of our sin. Their own condemnation was put upon Jesus, theirs and our Sacrificial Lamb.
Here at the Altar we are set free.
We can sing our praises to Adonai because of what He has done for us. How HE has set us free, healed us from our many sins and raised us up! But it is here we suddenly take in the full measure of that He did for us. We stand aghast! The price HE paid was not a cheap “I grant you freedom” and You strike the gavel, costing You nothing. This price was so much more. This price cost You great suffering. This price cost You death, the cruelest death ever known. You, the Innocent One, through Your death declared us innocent, though we are the guilty ones. And, in order for us to receive this Price, the full measure of this Price we must embrace the Cross. We have to recognize the Grace offered to us is not cheap. It has a price and the price was paid 2,000 years ago. We have to reconcile ourselves to the fact that in order to receive the Prize, we must embrace the Cross.
As we embrace the Cross, we suddenly see and begin to recognize the cost for our freedom. The price that was paid so that we can be free. Jesus gave His all so that we can receive all.
The Altar is a Continual Place
Going to this Altar is a continual service. It’s not just a one-time “salvation” and you’re done with it.
“The fire on the Altar is to be kept burning on it, it must not go out….” Leviticus 6:5
We are to go to this Altar continually. Daily.
This is the largest Altar in the Tabernacle. This is the only place where we “give” something. There are 5 different offerings on this Altar, it’s not just the Sacrificial Lamb. We are commanded to give 5 different offerings:
- Consecration of self
- Our things, our “stuff”
- Reconciliation
- Forgiveness
- Cleansing
This Altar is a place of unburdening.
I hear the Lord gently whisper to us:
“Lay your burden down…”
What is burdening us?
- Sin
- Responsibilities
- Unkept promises
- Family
- Ministry
Lay your burdens down. All that which weighs you down. The Lord wants YOU, not your “stuff”. The Lord’s identity is in us, not in our titles, our responsibilities, our roles as parents, spouses, or the type of work we do. Even the talents or skills we have is not our identity.
We have to come to terms with the question:
Who ARE we?
The Lord wants us to see ourselves as how HE sees us, not as how we perceive ourselves. The Lord God Adonai loves us to the very core of our beings. The Lord God Adonai loves our uniqueness, not because of what we do. He loves us because of who we are. God’s Love runs deep, much deeper than what any man, woman or child can touch. God’s love runs right into the very core of who we are. We don’t have to perform. We don’t have to self-discipline. We don’t have to do anything to earn God’s love. Because we can’t earn it. God’s Love is always there. The Lord is always for us, never against us.
Lay your “stuff” down. Just as we are born naked and not having anything, we can only go to meet with our Lord face-to-face with nothing, naked and empty handed. It is here where we suddenly discovered the Lord is not impressed with all of our accomplishments, all of our good works. The Lord is also not at all disgusted or repelled by our many sins. Yet, no matter what we’re carrying…..no matter if it’s good or bad, we must learn to unpack ourselves. We must learn to lay all of our burdens down. No matter what they are, or what they look like.
Over 20 years ago as I was praying, I was taken up into an open vision. I was suddenly on the outskirts of the Courts of Heaven, in the Throne Room of God. I saw HIM…..so Majestic…..so Magnificent…..so incredibly awesome! HE was seated on the Throne and the 24 elders were seated around HIM. HE was so incredibly magnificent I couldn’t even say His Name! Suddenly HE turned His head and saw me. HE stared fixedly at my face. I was awestruck. He noticed me! He sees me! This was more incredible than an earthly king, or president or well-known celebrity who suddenly takes notice of someone. HE IS THE KING OF KINGS!!! HE IS LORD OF LORDS!! And…..HE sees me! Then HE lifted up His arm, pointed His finger right at me. Slowly He motioned to me; He beckoned me to come closer to Him. Even to come and sit on the Throne with Him. W-O-W!!!! I was astounded! An overwhelming desire came over me. I so wanted to be with Him, even to sit with HIM!!! So, I began to run toward HIM with all my might.
But as I started to run, hands stopped me. Voices told me I couldn’t go to HIM looking like I did. I looked down and saw I was covered in filth. Mud and dirt were all over my clothes, all over me. Not only that, I was carrying bags and bags and bags. I had huge backpacks on my back and all were weighing me down. They all were filled with cheap trinkets, but until that moment I considered them to be my treasures. I was ashamed at how filthy dirty I was, also how burdened down I was with my junk. Then…..I suddenly realized all of these filthy dirty bags and backpacks that I considered my “treasures” were not my sin, they were my GOOD WORKS!! What could I give Him? All of that is just trash. I’ve done a lot of great things in ministry, and I have to say I’m proud of my accomplishments. But all of that is just trash. I can’t present them, any of them to HIM Who I couldn’t even say His Name.
I have to leave that all at the Altar. ALL of it. I can’t take any of that into the Inner Chamber. I’m not allowed to take any of that into the Courts of Heaven. I can’t take my title, I can’t take my ministry, I can’t take any of my accomplishments. All of that has to stay here at this burning Altar. Some of that may still be waiting for me after I return, but I cannot take any of it in. Some of it might even have to go through the purging fire and be refined. But I have to let it go. I have to let it all go.
At this Burning Altar we all have to let go of our stuff. We have to let go of our past, our sin, our pain, our suffering, and also our accomplishments, our pride…..everything! At this Altar we have to learn to unpack ourselves, hold on to nothing.
The Altar of Sacrifice is also a place of great healing
We have to come to terms with the fact that there is a huge flow of healing that takes place at this Altar. There is healing throughout the Tabernacle, but most of the healing begins here. As we embrace the Cross and learn to lay down all of our stuff, all of our everything, then and only then is Holy Spirit allowed to come in with His great healing. Where there is pain in our hearts, where there is unforgiveness in our hearts, where there is even pride in our hearts, there is no room for healing. In the process of our letting go and emptying ourselves at this Altar, then Holy Spirit is finally able to enter in and bring a great depth of healing into us. This isn’t just healing of our broken hearts. This is also great healing of our broken bodies. Much of the time sickness is just an outward manifestation of what’s going on inside us.
So, I encourage you: go to the Altar today. Unburden yourself. Surrender yourself completely to Jesus. Then take the Blood that flows freely at this Altar and receive your healing today.