THE ALTAR OF INCENSE
Suggested Reading: Exodus 30
(click scripture link to read online)
This is a replica of the Altar of Incense in the Tabernacle at Timna National Park, Israel.
GOOGLE MAPS – To see where Reynold took the photo, click HERE.
Key Verse: Exodus 30:6
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.
Here are instructions for making the Altar of Incense, the Laver of Bronze, The Anointing Oil, and the incense which was a mixture of sweet spices. The burning of the incense and the smoke arising represent prayer continuously ascending to God. “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thess. 5:17). Brother Lawrence calls this, “Practicing the Presence of God.” Note the final words of our key verse: “where I will meet with you.” God met with the High Priest annually on the Day of Atonement, but because of the cross of Christ, we have the awesome honour of living 24/7 in God’s presence. We experience the sweetness of His presence, and we are successful in our spiritual lives when we maintain a private altar of prayer and praise to God. God wants to meet with us. Astounding! Amazing! Glorious!
PRAYER FOR TODAY:
Lord God, here I am to meet with You and I’m confident You are meeting with me. You speak to me, “I love You, David.” and I say to You, “I love You, Lord.” I’m one of Yours, Lord, and I know Your voice (John 10:4). Amen!
100 PERSONAL WORDS:
When I have trouble hearing God, I ask and believe for a fresh infilling of the Holy Spirit. I remember being in the Green Room, where we wait before going on TV, with the famous Debbie Boone. She was acting in a local Toronto live theatre production of “The Sound of Music.” As we prayed together, I heard her say, “O Lord, it’s been so long, so very long.” She told me that with her top-of-the-charts song, “You Light Up My Life,” and her acting career, she had been so busy that she neglected her daily reading of the Word and prayer. She wept as she was filled with God’s Spirit. She is married now and is a busy wife and Mom. I trust she has remembered that time. Paul reminds me to “be filled with the Spirit” (Eph. 5:18). The word “be” means “consistently” or “constantly.”
Yours to help us all practice the Presence of God continually,
David
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We thank you Lord for providing to meet our daily needs. Because your love for us is so profound and personal, we can know we have a safe haven of security and joy in you. Amen.
There are so many ways God speaks to me, aside from that still small voice whispering from within. Meditation has helped in my life … it can be on a scripture, on God’s creation or simply realizing the stillness of the present moment in each breath taken and released. Our Lord especially speaks to me when I see new life coming into this world and when I think about the shortness of our lives, even more so as I become older. Thank you for your words and prayers today, David.
When I pray in the morning I ask God to refill me a new with the Holy
Spirit as well. He is important in our lives everyday.
Lianne Hogg
What inner peace one can have no matter what is going on in one’s personal world, when one daily surrenders of self to Him, seeking a fresh infilling of the Holy Spirit and walks in the gentle Presence of the Lord daily. “Out of my bondage, sorrow and night, Jesus I come, Jesus I come. Into Thy freedom, gladness and light, Jesus I come to Thee. Out of my sickness into Thy health, out of my want and into Thy wealth. Out of my sin and into Thyself, Jesus I come to Thee.” The first verse of the beautifl hymn: “Jesus, I Come”