Growing up Catholic, we said rote prayers like “Hail Mary”, “The Act of Contrition” and several other beautiful prayers. They are all deep, meaningful prayers but they were a far cry from that freewheeling prayer stuff other churches practiced!
I memorized and recited every word of the prayers, over and over and over again. Especially after going to weekly confession and having the Priest assign my penance. Penance for my sins wasn’t always just a few prayers – often times, I had to pray the entire Rosary….twice!!
Anyhoooo…..
It wasn’t until I was 46 or 47 years old that I was asked to say the closing prayer at my Bible Study Group.
Holy Moly!!! Me?
To be fair, I had been attending a Bible church for a few years and had heard countless freewheeling prayer warriors say some incredible prayers, but praying in front of others – out loud! – was new to me. Luckily, I was with women I knew and trusted, so I gave it a try.
It didn’t kill me. In fact, it was freeing! I learned to love praying out loud in front of folks. And I loved ending those prayers with a resounding, “In the mighty name of Jesus, I pray! AMEN!”
That is, until a few weeks ago when what I learned in my Bible Study, “Living So That”, by Wendy Blight blew my mind!
After God delivered His people from Egypt, He instructed the Israelites to build a sanctuary so that He could dwell among them. The sanctuary had two rooms, separated by a heavy veil. The room behind the veil was the Holy of Holies, where the ark of the covenant was located. Jewish law allowed one Priest to enter the Holy of Holies one day a year to offer a sacrifice to God on behalf of the people. Only that one Priest, on that one day could be in the presence of God. Without the Priest, the people had no access to God.
But God changed all that when he sent His Son and our Savior, Jesus Christ.
By sending Jesus, God allowed a two-way communication with Him. Because of Jesus’ sacrifice, we can personally approach the throne of grace with confidence! (Hebrews 4:16)
What a Gift!
And what a Responsibility!
Maybe like me, you end your prayers the same way…”in the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen”
Do you realize what that really means? I can assure you, I did not!
When we pray in Jesus’ name, we are standing before God in Jesus’ place. Think about that! When we pray in Jesus’ name, we are praying expectantly (Psalm 5:3), pleading and pouring out our heart to our Heavenly Father, not because of who we are but because of who Jesus is!
I don’t know about you, but that rocked my world!!
We no longer need a Priest to intercede for us, so if we are going to boldly step into Jesus’ place to speak to our Father in heaven, we had better prepare our hearts before we pray. Amen?
Each time we pray, I hope we will stop and remember that it is through Jesus’ sacrifice that we have access to God. Our path to heaven is paved in His blood and because of His unwavering love for us, we are invited to enter the Holy of Holies and be in the presence of God.
Dear Jesus, I pray that you will always help me prepare my heart and that I may be worthy to stand before God in Your Mighty Name.
