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Saturday, August 7, 2010

face down at the altar


Months had passed and our prayer time that had taken place in the late night hours at the church, had slowly dwindled down to nothing. That which God had called us to do for 8 months, somehow had gotten lost in the dailyness of things that we think life dictates as necessary.

Gone were the quiet and intimate times sitting in the darkened sanctuary with friends who shared a burden. A burden for our church. The lost. The hurting. A burden for that which satan tries to destroy.

Gone were the nights where minutes ever so fleetingly turned to hours as we feverishly searched the scriptures, desiring for God to speak through the powerful, Holy Word. 

Gone was the feeling of unparalleled peace that came at the close of each prayer time, as we knew that we had surely met with God. We knew that when we walked out those doors we had been in His glorious presence.

Gone was that intense time of communion with our Lord that ended with us flat on our faces at the altar, crying out to the Giver of Life. The Keeper of Eternity. The One true God.

As the months passed and that which was ordained by God fell by the wayside, we unwittingly gave the enemy a foothold. Not a very big one, but it doesn't take much. When you are dealing with the devil, any amount is too much.

And once again, God began drawing us to His sanctuary.

Beckoning our hearts to come commune with Him.

Filling our spirits with a deep longing for intimate fellowship and prayer.

As I opened the doors to the sanctuary, the winds of the Holy Spirit blew upon me and I was consumed with a reverent love for an awesome God. As I slowly walked down the aisle, I breathed in His fragrance and I was overwhelmed with His presence. Astounded by His love. Surrounded by His glory. Unspeakable peace filtered through any hinderances and settled like a soft blanket on my soul.

I approached the altar with a lump in a my throat. I was filled with immense gratitude at the sweet mercy and grace He has had on my life. His hands enveloped me and I felt oneness with God.

For whatever reason it took so long to come back to this Holy place for our nights spent snuggled up  to our Savior, it was worth it. I could already feel that unquenchable thirst for more of these serence moments with him. More of this face-to-face worship with our Lord. More of Him.

As I knelt at His feet and prayed, an immense satisfaction drenched my spirit. God's voice had beckoned me to come close and my spirit had yielded to the call. He had bid me come and I was home.



Praise you, Jesus for drawing me near and giving me ears to hear your voice. 


9 comments:

Barbara said...

Amen Beth, and that is where we meet God and where we some real action take place, God bless you.

Teresa said...

Beth...our God is so amazing...the power of corporate prayer...where two or more are gathered and agree,there Jesus is in the midst of them (revealed by the Holy Spirit of God). Wow...tears stream down my face as you wrote with such power. The writing inspired by the Holy Spirit, annihilated my soul, effecting my emotions, and effecting my physical body, as the lump in my throat manifested, provoking the tears to come forth. Beautiful post. Beautiful reminder of our Continuously Aamzing Savior, Lord and King!

http://bitsandpieces-sonja.blogspot.com/ said...

Beth:

This is EXACTLY what the book on my blog is about today, and thank you for your good comments.

I think we need such a return to prayer and praying in our churches and in our daily lives.

We are on the same page sweet sister!

Hugs!

Sonja

Sherri said...

Amen, what a blessing. It is my prayer that the children of God will be refreshed in Him and be drawn to their knees at the throne seeking a newness in HIM that can only come from HIM.

Blessings!

elaine @ peace for the journey said...

What I want, sister. We've been praying with a few members of our new church for the past few weeks. It's not been well attended, but we're starting to see some movement. Prayer is everything...

Why do we wait so long to entreat the Lover of our souls? How I pray for the break-through of all heaven upon us.

peace~elaine

TRUTH SHARER said...

This is a powerful post and the line you wrote:

"When you are dealing with the devil, any amount is too much."

...says it all!

Prayer and the altar - go hand and knee!

Blessings, Stephanie

BECKY said...

Wow Beth. Wow. Praise be to God for drawing you back. Praise be to God for all He is doing in response to the prayers flowing up to the Throne of Grace. May we all hear His call to prayer and worship wherever He leads us.

Love and hugs,
Becky

sister sheri said...

There is something about the altar... Not that it is magical, but that we tend to sense the presence of the Lord so keenly that we end up praying in accordance to His will and slowing down and quiet enough to hear his voice...

Nana Jul said...

I just love that we bow, and He shows up in all HIS GLORY!! So powerful, He exhausts us, and leaves such a PEACE.

This is how it feels to be FREE!!
Love ya sister!!
Julie