KNEEL BEFORE THE ALTAR

In reverence?

This image was shared by a friend at FB.  It caught my fancy and every time I pass by this image, I am reminded to kneel before the altar.

Isn’t it a good reminder to say grace before partaking from the table?

Although this goat has been pushed to the limit of its leash, that it has to kneel down to nibble at the priced green diet, one doesn’t have to be kneeling or bowing down while eating.


I once heard of a question, thrown as a joke or whatever, asking why people bow down and close their eyes before they eat.  I hope he knows that we were not worshiping our food but the giver.  How much would it show if people have to go down on their knees while eating?  Except of course, if it is a Korean or Japanese meal time.

For times that we enter the Altar or the Holy Place, we should be on our knees or bowed low in humility.  One blogger says that when she enters her prayer sanctuary, she takes off her sandals.

For me, we can go all about how we would like to express our awe in our Holy God.  We are free.  But one thing surely needs to be in order, the issue of our heart.

Places can be designated as a Holy Place, a Prayer Sanctuary, a, Prayer Room, a Holy Ground and you may preserve its sanctity.  "Hallowed be the ground where God is found."

IMAGE SOURCE

 It is a good thing and being able to point at its sacredness to the other members of the family, will make them respect it too, and they may tread quietly even reverently,  while passing along the place, when you are in there.  I once stumbled upon a blog, but I forget where it is now, where she wrote about the little prefab backyard shed her husband gifted her for her alone time- where she could pray, have her quiet time, write her journals and read.   It looks like the picture in the right.  How awesome it would be if one has such a place consecrated for prayer.

When one lives in a one-room house, where there is no nook to designate as a private prayer room, one learns to withdraw deep inside to hear the still small voice.   A walk to the nearest hill is a sure difficult task to traverse.  Perhaps not to the agile but so for the older ones like me.  Thus, it is necessary to develop that quiet inside your heart,  to be able to commune with your Holy Father.

Lastly, seeking God in quiet walks, for petitions and intercessions, or even in the ordinary order of the day like eating and going to bed, or going out of the house, one needs to say grace,  acknowledge the God of Provision and Protection.


Preceding all transactions with our Heavenly Father must be a heart prepared, humble and worshipful.


Last week I was reading from a friend’s blog , CROWN OF BEAUTY, where she shared that:

“We are learning as we go deeper into intercession that it is not wise to engage in spiritual warfare without adequate worship.

 Our warfare must proceed from worship.”

So entering the Altar before our Holy God, we need to be clothed in humility, bowed low to our knees, reverent and worthy.  This is more of a heart issue than a place issue.

Science says that we have to wash our hands before we eat.  But when you hear the Psalmist say it this way:

 Psalm 26:6   "I wash my hands in innocence, and go about your altar, O LORD,"

 ...... the washing of hands in innocence should mean the right heart or the right attitude.  We are on Holy Ground, what should our attitude be and what should be the state of our heart?

CONSECRATE OUR HEART.

I would like to link this post with Patsy at HeARTworks with her Ezekiel with Dreadlocks! 

It is so timely with this post, finding Ezekiel lying flat on his face, in reverence before the presence of the Lord.

He must be in such a Holy Place before God.

"As the appearance of a 

rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day,

so was the appearance of the surrounding radiance.

Such was the appearance

of the likeness of the glory of the Lord.

And when I saw it, 

I fell on my face...."

Ezekiel 1:28

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A HAPPY NEW WEEK TO EVERYONE!