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James 5:16
16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

 We will begin by repeating what I’ve said in the last two sessions.

  • If we want to be a powerful church, we must first be a praying church.
  • If we want to be an effective church, we must first be a praying church.
  • If we want to be a growing church, we must first be a praying church.
  • If we want to be a loving church, we must first be a praying church.

Jesus modeled praying in the Bible. As you read through the Gospels, you’ll find several references where Jesus was recorded as praying. He is shown to have prayed:

  • Alone [Matthew 14:23; Mark 1:35; Luke 9:18; Luke 22:39-41]
  • In public [John 11:41-42; John 12:27-28]
  • Before meals [Matthew 26:26; Mark 8:6; Luke 24:30; John 6:11]
  • Before important decisions [Luke 6:12-13]
  • Before healing [Mark 7:34-35], and
  • After healing [Luke 5:16]

But probably most notably He is shown praying in the Garden of Gethsemane. Praying for the Will of God to be accomplished.

Praying should not be thought of as a chore, but rather a privilege. If you find yourself struggling to pray, maybe it's time to reassess the way you look at prayer.

A great way to do this is to find a “model” for prayer and use it to guide and direct your thoughts and words as you begin to “give yourself continually” [Acts 6:4] to prayer.

Prayer Model: The Tabernacle Plan

One such model is to use the Tabernacle found in the book of Exodus [Exodus 25 – 27]. The Tabernacle measured approximately 150 feet long by 75 feet wide. It was enclosed by a fence that was 7½ feet high, hung on 60 pillars (or columns) - 20 each on the long sides and 10 each on the shorter sides. The fence served several important functions.

  1. The height, taller than any person, would ensure that people could not peek in from the sides or be only spectators to the worship happening inside.
  2. The fence served as protection, i.e., no wild animal could wander in.
  3. It served as a clear boundary between the world and the holy presence of God.
  4. The fence was a barrier to prevent unlawful approach.
  5. The only way in was through a single gate. The fence directed people toward that opening.

This fence provided a sanctuary, which protected the worshipper from the outside world by keeping the wrong things out and the right things in.

God gave Moses specific instructions on the design and layout for the tabernacle. It was to be patterned according to His direction, it was to be furnished with specific articles, it was to be decorated with specific colors and textures. Why? Because He is a God of order and purpose.

There were to be two courts, an outer court and an inner court. Each court had four distinct articles of furniture or function. In this session we will talk about the first, the Entrance Gate.

The Entrance Gate was the only way you could enter the Tabernacle. The Entrance Gate was closed with a curtain, meaning it was closed but not locked, because entry was open to any who desired to go in. It is a reminder that any can enter, but only by God’s designed way. The Entrance Gate is a type and shadow of Jesus for He proclaimed,

John 10:9
9 I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.

The entrance way was decorated with interwoven threads of blue, purple and scarlet. Each color carries its own message. Blue is the color of the sky, representing Heaven. Purple represents royalty, reminding us that God reigns as sovereign Ruler over all of creation. Scarlet points us to the blood of Christ. By interweaving them, the message is that the sovereignty and righteousness of our Almighty God, He who left Heaven, came and wrapped Himself in flesh so that He could shed His precious blood on the Cross that through Him we have hope.

So just as the Israelites, common Jew and priest alike, had to enter the Tabernacle through the Entrance Gate, we must first come to Jesus in prayer. Why? Because it is Jesus who saves, it is Jesus who delivers, it is Jesus who heals. But, while the Entrance Gate was made readily accessible, the one who enters must do so with purpose.

The Psalmist said, “I will enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise." [Psalm 100:4] Our first stop in prayer is always at the entrance gate where we offer our God praise. Before we do anything else we must recognize that we must walk through the door, and that door is Jesus, and when we pass through that door we must stop and give our great God some great praise.

I know we have sins of which we must repent. I know we have needs that we need to bring to him. We have a sacrifice that needs to be laid on an altar. We have so much on hearts, so much in our minds. So much going on in our lives, that we need and want Jesus to move upon, but before we touch any of it, we must walk through the Entrance Gate.

Suggestions/Action Items

Get a prayer journal. Something that you can sit down with and write in daily. Chose a prayer model and just start.

Commit. Find a time that works for you and give yourself to prayer.

Simply begin with this: Have you identified your Red Sea? Continue to pray: Praise, Repent, Ask, Yes. Notice how the first part of the previous prayer model and this prayer model are the same: PRAISE. Coincidence? I think not.

Judges 20:18
18 And the children of Israel arose, and went up to the house of God, and asked counsel of God, and said, Which of us shall go up first to the battle against the children of Benjamin? And the Lord said, Judah shall go up first.

Note that God said for Judah to go up first. Here in this text, Judah is derived from the Hebrew verb ידה (yada), in which we derive our English word, Praise. So, it’s no coincidence that the first thing we are to do in prayer (spiritual battle) is to Praise our God.

Footnote: Prayer Model Adapted from Heaven to Earth, Anthony Mangun