January 11, 2022
Sacred Space
Lord’s Prayer Focus: Surrender to the Father’s Kingdom
When we talk to God, we must remember who we’re talking to. We’re talking to the King! God’s kingdom is an awesome kingdom and our desires should be the same as the desires of our King! Jesus taught us to pray, “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6:10). As we continue to use the Lord’s Prayer as our guide through these 40 days, let’s focus now on what it means to pray for God’s kingdom and what it means to surrender to His will.
Exodus 3:1–6 (ESV) — 1 Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, and he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. 3 And Moses said, “I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.” 4 When the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” 5 Then he said, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” 6 And he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.
Acts 1:8 (ESV) — 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
It’s odd to think of the place where Moses was standing as holy ground. He was in the middle of the desert on a mountain, with just a bunch of dirt, rocks, and smelly sheep around him. There were no cathedrals nearby, no prayer closets to enter, nothing for hundreds of miles! Yet Moses encounters God there. God reminds Moses, “I am the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob” (Exod. 3:6). Abraham lived in modern-day Iraq, a wicked, violent nation, yet God appeared to him there (Gen. 12:1). A few generations later, Joseph was sold into slavery by his own brothers and sent to Egypt, “But God was with him...in Egypt” (Gen. 39:2-3). King David had an idea (not God’s idea) to build a permanent dwelling place for God, but God does not dwell in houses made with human hands (Acts 7:48-50).
Isn’t it interesting that every place we try to contain God, He breaks out of it? Many disciples wrongly believe that God is only able to work in certain places. Think of the worst place in your hometown that you would never step foot in or that you would consider off limits. The disciples thought of the region of Samaria in this way, and yet Jesus traveled through it and ministered to great need there. Is God present in the places you least expect? He is, because God is everywhere. In fact, God went to a place that was far worse than what you’ve ever known - the cross (Gal. 3:13).
So, what if holy ground is wherever God is at work? What if your “secular” job is not really a secular job at all, but a sacred one? Once Godʼs Spirit lives in you, He goes wherever you go. And since God is at work in you (Phil. 2:13), your workplace now becomes sacred space - a sanctuary. Your desk becomes a place where God can work. When people walk up to ask you questions and interact with you, that is your opportunity to “take off your shoes,” for the place where you are working is holy ground. What if you began to see that your home is also a sacred space where God is present? How about your car, your school, your dorm room, or your classroom? God’s holy presence dwells in you, and He goes wherever you go. You are His tabernacle (dwelling place)! Wherever God dwells and works, that becomes holy ground.
Consider:
Prayer Points:
Ask the Holy Spirit to give you fresh vision to see and engage the sacred spaces around you today.
Lord’s Prayer Focus: Surrender to the Father’s Kingdom
When we talk to God, we must remember who we’re talking to. We’re talking to the King! God’s kingdom is an awesome kingdom and our desires should be the same as the desires of our King! Jesus taught us to pray, “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6:10). As we continue to use the Lord’s Prayer as our guide through these 40 days, let’s focus now on what it means to pray for God’s kingdom and what it means to surrender to His will.
Exodus 3:1–6 (ESV) — 1 Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, and he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. 3 And Moses said, “I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.” 4 When the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” 5 Then he said, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” 6 And he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.
Acts 1:8 (ESV) — 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
It’s odd to think of the place where Moses was standing as holy ground. He was in the middle of the desert on a mountain, with just a bunch of dirt, rocks, and smelly sheep around him. There were no cathedrals nearby, no prayer closets to enter, nothing for hundreds of miles! Yet Moses encounters God there. God reminds Moses, “I am the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob” (Exod. 3:6). Abraham lived in modern-day Iraq, a wicked, violent nation, yet God appeared to him there (Gen. 12:1). A few generations later, Joseph was sold into slavery by his own brothers and sent to Egypt, “But God was with him...in Egypt” (Gen. 39:2-3). King David had an idea (not God’s idea) to build a permanent dwelling place for God, but God does not dwell in houses made with human hands (Acts 7:48-50).
Isn’t it interesting that every place we try to contain God, He breaks out of it? Many disciples wrongly believe that God is only able to work in certain places. Think of the worst place in your hometown that you would never step foot in or that you would consider off limits. The disciples thought of the region of Samaria in this way, and yet Jesus traveled through it and ministered to great need there. Is God present in the places you least expect? He is, because God is everywhere. In fact, God went to a place that was far worse than what you’ve ever known - the cross (Gal. 3:13).
So, what if holy ground is wherever God is at work? What if your “secular” job is not really a secular job at all, but a sacred one? Once Godʼs Spirit lives in you, He goes wherever you go. And since God is at work in you (Phil. 2:13), your workplace now becomes sacred space - a sanctuary. Your desk becomes a place where God can work. When people walk up to ask you questions and interact with you, that is your opportunity to “take off your shoes,” for the place where you are working is holy ground. What if you began to see that your home is also a sacred space where God is present? How about your car, your school, your dorm room, or your classroom? God’s holy presence dwells in you, and He goes wherever you go. You are His tabernacle (dwelling place)! Wherever God dwells and works, that becomes holy ground.
Consider:
- When you pray for God’s Kingdom to come on earth as it is in heaven, where are you thinking of?
- What places, objects, or situations come to mind when you think of holy ground?
- How does God’s omnipresence (everywhere at all times) shift your perspective on what is sacred (holy) versus what is secular?
Prayer Points:
Ask the Holy Spirit to give you fresh vision to see and engage the sacred spaces around you today.
Posted in 2022 Prayer and Fasting