context for prayer

Hebrews 12:22 ... you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to countless thousands of angels in a joyful gathering. 23 You have come to the assembly of God's firstborn children, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God himself, who is the judge over all things. You have come to the spirits of the righteous ones in heaven who have now been made perfect. 24 You have come to Jesus, the one who mediates the new covenant between God and people, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks of forgiveness....

I have been deeply struck, as I have reflected on the passage above, about the context for prayer.  That is, when we consider what takes place when we go before the Lord in prayer we realize that we have entered a different setting entirely.  Because of the perfect sacrifice by Jesus and through His victory over death...and because He now intercedes on our behalf before the Father we can approach Him just as we are.  We may still be here, on this earthly plain, in our earthly bodies but spiritually we move to a different setting.  We come to God's city, the heavenly Jerusalem, where there are many witnesses to God and of our coming.  There are angels surrounding Him.  There are believers who have lived in past times and who, like you, have been made right through the blood of Christ.  And there is the great judge...God himself...and to His Son, Jesus.  When we pray and when we simply stand or kneel in the presence of God we have moved to a very unique place.  Perhaps it is helpful to remember this each time we pause for prayer!

peace,

Rob Smith