Astonishing Prayer

Welcome to our study on Astonishing Prayer. Over the next five days, we will dedicate these devotionals to developing an astonishing life of prayerfulness. Scripture is abundantly clear that we should live prayerful lives (1 Thessalonians 5:17; Colossians 4:2; Philippians 4:6; Matthew 5:44; Luke 18:1), however, if we are honest, it is challenging to develop the vision to see life for all it is, a blend of the physical and the spiritual. Through this week’s study, we will be reminded of the importance and the gift of approaching God in His holiness to contend for others and live for what matters most.

In 1871, a French archaeologist named Charles Simon Clermont-Ganneau discovered the ‘Temple Warning Inscription’, a surviving piece of rubble from the Second Temple in Jerusalem (AD 70). This inscription was essentially a first-century “No Trespassing” sign from the dwelling place of the God of Israel. Here is what it reads:

“NO FOREIGNER IS TO GO BEYOND THE BALUSTRADE AND THE PLAZA OF THE TEMPLE ZONE. WHOEVER IS CAUGHT DOING SO WILL HAVE HIMSELF TO BLAME FOR HIS ENSUING DEATH.”¹

Talk about an aggressive message! However, such was the attitude of the people of Israel, the builders of this temple. Their reverence for the sanctuary of the Most High God led them to this understanding —that a holy God is not to be casually approached. Instead, God was to be accessed on His conditions and in His timing, primarily due to the unclean and sinful nature of humanity (Leviticus 11-22).

However, something radically shifted at the cross of Jesus. The Book of Ephesians teaches us that, through the cleansing work of Christ, both Jew and Gentile (foreigner) can be made clean and seen as holy through the sacrifice of Jesus. Paul writes, “For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility…” (Ephesians 2:14). In addition to this, the Gospels teach us that, when Jesus breathed His last, the curtain that separated the unapproachable presence of God from the commonperson was “torn in two” (Matthew 27:51-52).

For those who believe, there is now unrestricted access — past the wall and through the curtain — to Almighty God, by the purifying work of Jesus.

The significance of this access is astonishing. The same God who spoke the stars into the sky, the same creator who sculpted the planets, the same God of the universe who engineered the sciences, the same glorious one who breathed life into humanity, is not only approachable but wants to be accessed.

In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.
Ephesians 3:12

With this in mind, let us never take for granted the access and right-standing we have received through Christ. God has made a way for us to be recognized as righteous, called ‘imputed righteousness’ in theological circles, because He understands the restricting nature of sin and desires to be in contact with humankind.

Thanks be to God for the remarkable, astonishing gift we have in access to Him!

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Father, we choose today to not take this priceless reality for granted. We approach You in confidence, but also with immense gratitude for who You are and what You have done. You made a way for us to approach You in all Your holiness, and we praise You for Your kindness.

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¹Armstrong Institute of Biblical Archaeology. https://armstronginstitute.org/360-the-temple-warning-inscriptions-closest-thing-to-the-temple-we-have