Tuesday Prayer Room – 9am
4 Moses said to the whole Israelite community, “This is what the Lord has commanded: 5 From what you have, take an offering for the Lord. Everyone who is willing is to bring to the Lord an offering of gold, silver and bronze; 6 blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen; goat hair; 7 ram skins dyed red and another type of durable leather[a]; acacia wood; 8 olive oil for the light; spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense; 9 and onyx stones and other gems to be mounted on the ephod and breastpiece.
10 “All who are skilled among you are to come and make everything the Lord has commanded: 11 the tabernacle with its tent and its covering, clasps, frames, crossbars, posts and bases; 12 the ark with its poles and the atonement cover and the curtain that shields it; 13 the table with its poles and all its articles and the bread of the Presence; 14 the lampstand that is for light with its accessories, lamps and oil for the light; 15 the altar of incense with its poles, the anointing oil and the fragrant incense; the curtain for the doorway at the entrance to the tabernacle; 16 the altar of burnt offering with its bronze grating, its poles and all its utensils; the bronze basin with its stand; 17 the curtains of the courtyard with its posts and bases, and the curtain for the entrance to the courtyard; 18 the tent pegs for the tabernacle and for the courtyard, and their ropes; 19 the woven garments worn for ministering in the sanctuary—both the sacred garments for Aaron the priest and the garments for his sons when they serve as priests.”
20 Then the whole Israelite community withdrew from Moses’ presence, 21 and everyone who was willing and whose heart moved them came and brought an offering to the Lord for the work on the tent of meeting, for all its service, and for the sacred garments. 22 All who were willing, men and women alike, came and brought gold jewelry of all kinds: brooches, earrings, rings and ornaments. They all presented their gold as a wave offering to the Lord. 23 Everyone who had blue, purple or scarlet yarn or fine linen, or goat hair, ram skins dyed red or the other durable leather brought them. 24 Those presenting an offering of silver or bronze brought it as an offering to the Lord, and everyone who had acacia wood for any part of the work brought it. 25 Every skilled woman spun with her hands and brought what she had spun—blue, purple or scarlet yarn or fine linen. 26 And all the women who were willing and had the skill spun the goat hair. 27 The leaders brought onyx stones and other gems to be mounted on the ephod and breastpiece. 28 They also brought spices and olive oil for the light and for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense. 29 All the Israelite men and women who were willing brought to the Lord freewill offerings for all the work the Lord through Moses had commanded them to do. – EXODUS 35
PRAYER GUIDE
The tabernacle foreshadows the ultimate dwelling place of God, when God will dwell with his people forever in the New Jerusalem. In the meantime, the Church is his dwelling place. It is the tabernacle of the New Covenant era. In many ways, our purpose has always been to partner with God in hosting his presence. It was thus in the Garden, thus in the tabernacle, thus in the temple, thus in the upper room, and it will be so when Heaven comes to earth. One way to understand our primary purpose as God’s people is to host his presence. We do this through by building the temple with our own offerings, given with willing hearts. As Jesus took the bread and the loaves in the gospels and used them to feed the 5000, God accepts our gifts, willingly given, to create a resting place for his presence.
Even though heaven is his throne, and the earth his footstool, yet God out of love for us and his desire to partner with human beings and inhabit our human efforts, God, uses and honors our offerings to create a dwelling place where He can be in close intimacy and relationship with us.
In this passage, in the era of the tabernacle, the Israelites offered their resources, their skills, and their time. And while God didn’t NEED any of this from his people, he honored it. And in our own moment, it is good for our own souls to make our own contribution so that the people of God can host the presence of God. When we do so, we fulfill our deepest purpose.
This morning, let’s pray for willing hearts. Let’s pray for offerings of time, talent, treasure. Let’s pray God uses his people to create a space for Himself to dwell in our own time.
PRAYER PROMPTS
- Meditate and ask the Spirit for insight on what it could look like today in the 21st Century for God to build his temple/tabernacle in our midst through our contributions of time, talent, and treasure.
- Pray into that.
- Let’s pray for willing hearts, moved by God’s Spirit.
- Let’s continue to pray for a longing and priority for the presence of God. And for a visitation of God’s spirit.
- Let’s pray for God’s people to prioritize the work of making a home for him.
In Our Time 