“‘You shall make an altar on which to burn incense; you shall make it of acacia wood. A cubit shall be its length, and a cubit its breadth. It shall be square, and two cubits shall be its height. Its horns shall be of one piece with it. You shall overlay it with pure gold, its top and around its sides and its horns. And you shall make a molding of gold around it.’” Exodus 30:1-3 (ESV) Invest a few moments of time in taking inventory of your life. What are you offering up to God? How are you allocating your time and your energy? Are you living to bring glory to God in all things? The Table of the Bread of the Presence, the Golden Lampstand, and Altar of Burning Incense were located in the Holy Place of the Tabernacle. As you come to this feature in praying through the Tabernacle, continue to worship God and make yourself available for His use. Station 5: The Altar of Burning Incense Make Yourself Available for God’s Use What are you giving your life to? What do you value? You will make room for what you value. As you come to this station in praying through the Tabernacle, offer your life up to God. “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship” (Romans 12:1 ESV). Make yourself completely available for His use. Place your “yes” on the altar and say, “Lord, I’m Yours! Use me!” As you pray, your prayer rises like burning incense. “Let my prayer be counted as incense before you, and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice” (Psalm 141:2 ESV). As you live out your faith in Christ, your life becomes an aroma pleasing to God. As you offer your body to God for His glory, you are expressing worship to God. Spread the fragrance of Christ by living a life of instant obedience. Spend some time worshiping God and expressing your dependency upon Him and your availability to Him. Relinquish control of your life over to the Lord. Surrender to the Lordship of Christ. Embrace the posture of Jesus and pray, “Father, not my will, but Your will be done.” During this portion of your prayer time, you may want to consider lifting your hands in worship to God as you pray. You may want to kneel before the Lord and lift up your hands and begin singing praises to His Name. Close your eyes and begin praise the Lord for who He is and continue by thanking Him for what He has done. Obedience to God demonstrates your passion to please Him and to honor Him with your life and your lips. Let your private worship be focused, passionate, and authentic. Open your heart as you open your mouth to declare His glory. Following Jesus Every Day, Stephen Trammell
