I have been fasting and praying since October 20th for a month, that came about from a very personal conversation with a friend who confided in me some specific life challenges. As I fast and pray for her and her family, the process has helped me re-evaluate where I stood with respect to my personal faith and walk with Christ. Sometimes I wonder what all this is about, especially when doubt creeps in, a feeling of loneliness sets in, when I don't have someone in whom I can confide. But such instances have also been a place of strength, which forces me to look back in life, where I came from, how I got to where I am. These instances have also been the times when I have heard the gentle whispers of my God, a reminder of his promises that he has faithfully carried out, that gives me the courage and strength to keep on, and have in me the expectation of God's glory that I will see.
As I have been fasting and praying, I have been reading random sections of the Bible, and the theme I see is evangelism: build God's temple one person at a time. It's not in grand structures that God resides, but individuals. It is not just through ordained ministers or priests or preacher's who have critical acclaim that God works. God works through everyday walk of life people, like ourselves, whom no one knows, if we are willing to allow him to work in us and through us.
Evangelism is the duty of every christian. Each person, regardless of their faith, is the temple of God. God only wishes that the temple is prepared for his glory to descend and transform the individual life. We read this in the book of Ezekiel 33. Here is a God who wants to have a relationship with each one of us, a God who is passionate about you and me.
My desire has been for God to give me opportunities to speak to people about how Christ has transformed my life, and what he has done in my life. During this fast, meditation and prayer, I have also come to realize that I have to defend my faith not just on experiences, but on facts about Christ and the reason for my faith in him. That was the reason for my previous post. Getting back to evangelism, as I read through the random sections of the bible, Psalm 132, where the psalmist talks of priests who are the agents of salvation caught my attention. And Psalms 134 reads, "Oh, praise the LORD, all you servants of the LORD, you who serve as the night watchmen in the house of the LORD. 2 Lift your hands in holiness toward the sanctuary, and praise the LORD. 3 May the LORD, who made heaven and earth, bless you from Jerusalem." The key was "lift up your hands in holiness."
Do the agents of salvation, the night watchmen in the house of the LORD, lift up their hands towards the LORD's sanctuary in holiness, as prayers for others are lifted to the LORD? Being right with God while conducting his business is a very serious matter. We read in Numbers 3:2-4, "2 The names of Aaron’s sons were Nadab (the oldest), Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 3 These sons of Aaron were anointed and ordained (Exodus 29) to minister as priests. 4 But Nadab and Abihu died in the Lord’s presence in the wilderness of Sinai when they burned before the LORD the wrong kind of fire, different than he had commanded." In Leviticus 10:10, God gives instructions for priestly conduct, "10 You must distinguish between what is sacred and what is common, between what is ceremonially unclean and what is clean. 11 And you must teach the Israelites all the decrees that the Lord has given them through Moses.” There is a command from God to make a conscious decision to distinguish between right and wrong and do that which is right. Only then do our prayers have results. Only then can we as Elijah, Elisha, Samuel, as we walk in obedience to God's commands, say in God's name, claim in God's name, pray in God's name, and miracles will happen, and hearts transformed. For the Bible says that God will do what his servants ask for, even if he has not foretold it to them, to prove to the world that they are indeed his servants.
During these random readings, I came across Exodus 30, and Aaron's task to tend to the trimming of the wicks on the lamp stand, morning and evening; and as he trimmed the wicks, God's command was to burn fragrant incense on the incense altar, with specific instruction to not burn just any incense. This was a command to be carried out generation to generation. The lamp stand and the incense altar stood in the proximity of the ark of the covenant, where God met his priests giving instruction for his people.
The trimming of the lamp peeked my curiosity. I came across this in Wikipedia: in the more modern times, the lamp trimmer was a specialist on board ships that involved maintaining oil lamps. The crewman needed to constantly care for the lamps. Trimming the wicks helped draw oil up from the storage reservoir, so that the flame would be clean and bright. The lamp trimmer had to be skilled to trim a wick in such a way that it would burn evenly without hot spots, so that it would not need attention again for sometime. A poorly trimmed wick creates a flame which is dim and smokey. A properly trimmed wick when lit should burn cleanly all the way up to the highest flame it can make. The flame should be at least the width of the wick and even, not ragged.
Evangelism requires us to be the light of God, that others can see. In order for God to act on our efforts to evangelize, we need to make sure that we tend to the wicks, connected to the lamp stands that we are, individually, personally, on a regular basis, morning and evening, continuously, to ensure that the flame is properly casting the light with an intensity that's at its full potential, while our lives are a sweet smelling offering in God's presence. Then, we can proclaim like Elijah, Elisha and Samuel, and God will do mighty works building his temples.
As I pray for my friend, who is not a believer, but who accepted a challenge on October 20th to pray to Jesus Christ for her deliverance, I put my hope in him. As Solomon prayed following the building of the LORD's temple, "And when foreigners hear of you and come from distant lands to worship your great name -- for they will hear of you and of your mighty miracles and your power -- and when they pray towards this Temple, then hear from heaven where you live, and grant what they ask of you. Then all the people of the earth will come to know and fear you, just as your own people Israel do. They too will know that this Temple I have built honors your name." and God answered, "I have heard your prayer and your petition. I have set this Temple apart to be holy—this place you have built where my name will be honored forever. I will always watch over it, for it is dear to my heart." (1 Kings 8:41-43; 9:3) I pray for God's love, mercy and grace upon our combined prayers. To God be the all the glory!
11-30-2017 Update: I finished my month long fasting on 11-20-2017. Not one of my prayer requests was answered. Actually, it seems they are worse off than when I started. Since November 21st I have been asking God, WHY? Today, I have the answer from the book of Matthew, and it's true. God taught me something about myself - I had the right purpose, but my heart was not right. Sometimes we think we are doing God's work, helping others, but God uses those experience to teach us more about ourselves. Today, I ask for forgiveness and recommit myself to God's mercy and love - God wants your obedience more than your sacrifices!
WorshipMob - Break Every Chain
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