Hey Friends,
This week I'm going to be sharing a chapter on prayer from my book The Prayer of Sons "Unlocking Your Supernatural Destiny Through Beholding Him.
“One thing I have asked of the Lord, and that I will seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord [in His presence] all the days of my life, To gaze upon the beauty [the delightful loveliness and majestic grandeur] of the Lord And to meditate in His temple” (Psalm 27:4, AMP).
“And we all, with unveiled face, continually seeing as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are progressively being transformed into His image from [one degree of] glory to [even more] glory, which comes from the Lord, [who is] the Spirit” (2 Cor. 3:18, AMP).
The passion that David and Paul expressed in these passages of scripture paints a picture of two individuals who have a history of engaging the Presence of the Living God. There are key terms that David and Paul used that reveal how they engaged with heaven and grew in intimacy. These
terms included:
Seek (baqash; to search out (by any method, specifically in worship or prayer); by implication, to strive after)
Dwell (yashab; to sit down (specifically as a judge, in ambush, in quiet); by implication, to dwell, to remain; causatively, to settle, to marry)
In (specifying a specific location or realm)
Gaze (chazah; to gaze at; mentally, to perceive, contemplate (with pleasure); specifically, to have a vision of -- behold, look, prophesy, provide, see)
Meditate (baqar; to plow, or (generally) break forth, i.e. (figuratively) to inspect, admire, care for, consider -- (make) inquire (-ry), (make) search, seek out)
Behold (katoptrizomenoi; to reflect as a mirror)
Transformed (metamorphoó; we are transformed into the same image (of consummate excellence that shines in Christ), reproduce the same image; transform, transfigure)
When you look at these words they illustrate a beautiful picture of adoration and intimacy. In these words, you grasp the depth of their brokenness, dependency, and desire for the Presence of God. If we are to maximize our potential and walk in the manifestation of our inheritance we have to get to
the place where we desire His presence above all else.
Being an ambassador in the family of God is not about how much you can do for God through the exertion of your own efforts. It’s about how well you can carry the Presence. At the foundation of every great individual who has accomplished great things in the history of the kingdom is a passion for
His presence.
Be Intentional About Your Seek.
Let’s explore a few points in relation to these words to get a better understanding of how you can grow in the way you engage the Presence of God:
“One thing I have asked of the Lord, and that I will seek:”
While David had many things he could have petitioned the Lord for, there was one thing that he desired above all and out of that desire a seek was birthed. Desire is an indication of who/what truly possesses your heart. David’s desire for the face of God cultivated an intentional positioning of himself for an encounter. As with any relationship, you have to be intentional about your seek. This intense yearning caused David to investigate God. David didn’t just wake up one morning with this passion; it grew the more he tasted of God’s presence and saw His goodness (Psalm 34:8). He was addicted to the Presence. Like Jacob, David learned to cling to the glory of God.
David had radical encounters with the Presence of God under the Old Covenant. We have a New Covenant built on better promises, exceeding in glory, and a new position in God altogether. As a New Covenant believer, you don’t have to strive in your seek for God’s presence. You simply enter into the awareness of His presence by faith. You are presently seated IN CHRIST, in heaven. You will read that a million more times before this book is over. The understanding of being in Christ has to be grasped in order to walk out your inheritance as a son. Often, seek is associated with self-effort. The only effort you need to make is to rest. By faith (accepting what the Father believes about you to be true), you step into the reality of your “I am-ness” in Christ. That is where you become aware of the seamless union that you have received by the torn veil of Christ’s flesh.
Be Still and Know.
David not only sought, but he dwelled in the Presence of God. The act of being still before God has been one of the most powerful keys to experiencing new depths of heaven and His power. God reveals the principle of being still and silently waiting for Him to David in Psalm 46:10. That word still (chashah) literally means to be silent and inactive. One definition of this word literally means to hush. This line of thinking totally goes against what society tells us as well as the spirit of religion that admonishes us to use all of our efforts to reach God as if there was a distance between us.
Let’s take a look at the Hebraic breakdown of Psalm 46:10:
"Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth" (Psalm 46:10, NASB).
Cease = har·pu: sink, relax [striving] and know = u·de·'u: to know
that I am God; = e·lo·him: God, god I will be exalted = a·rum: to be high or exalted, rise.
Here God is revealing a key to knowing Him, and effectively making Him known. That key is to sink. Sinking into His divine embrace and ceasing from our efforts to “do something for Him,” actually positions us for deep, impactful encounters. When we realize that we are totally dependent upon Him, we come into the place where we can lay down our own efforts and ability to be endowed with His. We live noisy lives and often our approach to God replicates the noise that is constantly occurring around us as well as the noise that is in our souls. Often, Much of what we do whether it’s prayer, worship, or ministry, flows from a soul-ish place because we haven’t slowed down to get in touch with the Person that lives in our spirit. Being still before God commands the mind and soul to bow down to your spirit man. In this place it’s not about what you can do, it becomes about what He has done and what He can do. Stillness is the place of abandonment and humility. The prayer of beholdingis the place of discovery.
“Settle yourself in solitude, and you will come upon God in yourself.”
Teresa of Avila
"But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what
is done in secret will reward you” (Matthew 6:6, NASB).
Let’s examine words in this verse in the original
Greek:
But when (otan) = whenever
Go (eiselthe) = to go in (to), enter
Into your inner room (tameion) = an inner chamber
Reward you (apodōsei) = to give up, give back, return, restore
This verse would better read:
“Whenever you pray, go into your inner chamber, shut the door to commune with the Father in the hidden place, and your Father will look upon you and reward you.”
Jesus was revealing a secret here. What is the inner chamber? It’s your spirit. Your spirit is perfectly harmonized with the Godhead. The veil that was torn in Christ’s spirit created a seamless union between your spirit and heaven. This is where Christ lives in you through the Holy Spirit. Your spirit is the place of divine activity. The works of your flesh don’t produce power in your life. This is why we are admonished not to live according to the flesh but by the spirit. When you pray, lean into your spirit man. Rest in the seamless union that Christ has provided. Your inner chamber is void of the noise that occurs in the soul. It’s the secret place where God dwells. God created this place within man because He desired intimate communion. This is also the gate where heaven is released through you into the earth. Miracles, Signs, and wonders come through this gate!
Becoming Aware of the Place You’re Seated In. Have you ever taken a moment to really soak in what it means to be seated in Christ? The essence of the New Covenant is that all distance has been removed and that we have become one with God. We are intertwined together (1 John 4:13). Not only are we seated in the person of Jesus, but we are also seated in His name (we will chat about this later). Heaven is presently our home. You can tune into that reality as easily as you can leave your bedroom and go to the kitchen. Death is not your promotion into that realm. You live in that realm 24/7 whether you realize it or not. Remember you were present in His death, burial, resurrection, and ascension (Eph.
2:6).
What does this mean?
Christ is seated at the right hand of the Father, and because we are seated in Him so are we. We are seated in the midst of angels, heavenly being and creatures, the great cloud of witnesses, the 24 elders, and more.We are seated in the realm of joy far above demonic principalities and powers. We are seated in the place of abundance, resources, and solutions. We are seated in the realm of creativity. We are seated in the counsel of God. We are seated in that realm that is beyond anything you can think or imagine I could go on and on, but you get the point. I encourage you to study heaven biblically to get a framework for that realm as you began to engage. To further elaborate, Jesus was our Prototype. He said He only did what He saw the Father doing. If you look at John 17:1 it states;
“When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up
his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has
come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify
you,”
When investigated you find that the way in which this verse is translated takes away from the fullness of what is being expressed. The phrase “lifted up His eyes” derives from the word epairo which means “raised on high,” then continuing to the word ouranos, meaning “where God dwells.” Jesus lived a life of lifting up His eyes. This is how He could do what he saw the Father doing (John 5:19-20).
The Greek work from John 5 communicating the word “see” literally means that Jesus looked at the Father in the same way you and I would look at one another. This is what it means to be in “in the Spirit.” We will cover more on this topic in the next chapter. David said that his chief desire was to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord. Let’s take another look at what
that word gaze:
Gaze (chazah; to gaze at; mentally, to perceive, contemplate (with pleasure); specifically, to have a
vision of -- behold, look, prophesy, provide, see)
This is such a loaded word that will shed great light on what it means to contemplate with pleasure. Contemplate simply means to regard attentively or to keep your eye on. To gaze is to contemplate. David found delight in contemplating the Father. Let’s look at how these two words correlate.
“They must learn how to close their human eyes and how to open their spiritual eyes. Then they should concentrate on building up their inner spiritual being and, through their trust in their God who lives in them, come into the divine presence.”
- Madame Guyon
The initial stage of contemplation is mental. In this stage, you are fine tuning your eyes to perceive the Lord. This can be done in several ways which include praising and worshiping the Lord, declaring a scripture, or even dancing before Him. During this stage, the distractions from the outside world fade as you magnify the Lord. With time you will mature into a place where you can just turn towards Him and be in His presence. Once you sense an awareness of His presence you become still before Him, closing your eyes and setting your mind on Jesus. This stage is often when people become antsy and feel the need to do something. We have been wired to think that He needs something from us.
Remember, all activity is occurring within the inner chamber. In this place it is not about communicating “flesh to Spirit,” but “spirit to Spirit.” I call this, “The Place of Pleasure.” I call it that because this is when I start to experience the pleasure of the Lord. He is so excited when His children turn towards Him. He loves our presence far more than we could ever imagine. A key that I have learned when in contemplation is to follow pleasure. Sense the flow of the Holy Spirit in your inner man and gravitate towards Him.
As you look further into the word gaze you find that it also means to have visions. In this place of contemplation, you enter into the prophetic revelatory realm. In this realm, you grow more aware of His voice and may even begin to see visions. I also find it interesting that that word provision correlates with the word gaze. Prov. 8:34 says, “Blessed is the man who listens to me, Watching daily at my gates, Waiting at my doorposts.” The word blessed speaks of being made happy, advancing and prosperity. There is a blessing in watching and waiting upon the Lord.
“They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures” (Psalm 36:8, KJV).
“They drink their fill of the abundance of Your house; And You give them to drink of the river of Your delights” (Psalm 36:8, NASB).
The gate that is referenced in Prov. 8:34 is an access way to the house of God. As we turn towards Him those gates swing wide and we get to drink of the abundance of His house! That word “fill” is yir·ve·yun, which means to be saturated. As we contemplate the Lord we are saturated in the abundance of goodness that flows from Him! It doesn’t come in little drips, it flows as a river. You can have as much of Him as you desire. He freely gives of Himself to his children. David calls this the River of His pleasure! As we stand under this river we begin to reflect His glory.
Reflecting as a Mirror
“And we all, with unveiled face, continually seeing as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are progressively being transformed into His image from [one degree of] glory to [even more] glory, which comes from the Lord, [who is] the Spirit” (2 Cor. 3:18, AMP).
The more we behold Him, the more we reflect Him. The Greek word for behold literally means “to reflect as a mirror.” We have been created to be a reflection of the image of the Father in the earth. That’s why Jesus said if you have seen Me you have seen the Father. The church is the “re-presentation” of God in the in the world (cosmos). This is why the face of Moses shined when he came down from being with the Lord. He became so saturated in the light of God that it tangibly radiated from his being.
In most recent history there are many people who are documented by witnesses of having literally glowed because they became so inebriated with the goodness of God. These include Moses, Teresa of Avila, Philip Neri, Ignatius of Loyola, just to name a few. We have been called to bring the tangible substance of heaven back on earth. In other words, “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” In order to know what God is releasing from heaven, we must get to know that place. He wouldn’t call us to be gates of heaven without being able to know the reality of heaven. As we behold Him we behold heaven and become intoxicated with the wine of His goodness.
“And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit,” (Eph. 5:18, NASB).
Paul admonishes us to get our fill of Heaven’s wine. To be intoxicated with His wine is to be under His influence. Beholding changes what influences you as well as your influence in the world. Not only do you grow in your ability to be a reflection of His power but His character. Those pesky habits that you have been trying to tame through the efforts of your flesh will melt away as you gaze upon the face of God. Your appetite will exist for His presence.
The more that we behold Him, the longer we will want to linger in His presence. The longer we linger, the farther out we go, from one degree of glory to another. Some people struggle with the idea that they could literally behold Jesus. Paul lets us know that the veil has been removed. Under the Old Covenant, there were a select few people who saw the Lord face to face (i.e. Jacob, Moses, David). The veil that Paul referenced was the Law of the Old Covenant. When you read that chapter in context, you find that Paul is exclaiming that in Christ that veil has been removed. The glory of the Old Covenant that shined upon the face of Moses was so bright that he had to wear a veil over his face because it was too bright for the Israelites to look upon. Paul celebrates the truth that we have been birthed into a greater glory than what Moses experienced and that we can look at glory dead on because not only did the flesh of Christ remove that veil, but we stand fully represented in Christ before the Father! That’s the good news of the Gospel.
Repentance removes that veil. Repentance is simply coming into agreement with what the Lord believes to be true about you as it is revealed. It’s about the turning from one reality to the other.
We have received an open invitation to behold Him. Have you wondered why it says that His glory is a mirror? It’s because when we gaze upon Him we grow in the revelation of everything that we have become in Christ. As we progress in the glory we progress in our development as mature sons.
“Thus the LORD used to speak to Moses face to face, just as a man speaks to his friend. When Moses returned to the camp, his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, would not depart from the tent” (Exodus 33:11, NASB).
This is one of my favorite passages of scripture. While I’m sure the aspect of God meeting with Moses face to face is an amazing thought and point upon which to ponder, I want to focus on Joshua. When Moses left the tent, Joshua remained. There was a “clinging” in the heart of Joshua that wouldn’t let him leave. While Moses was away with the camp, Joshua remained in a place of abiding with God under the shadow of His glory. To abide means that you refuse to depart. Continual Prayer is the abiding of the heart in the pleasure of God. While we often focus on the power of God in the demonstration of miracles, signs, and wonders, we often neglect the thing that He values the most; Intimacy. Intimacy with God is the highest priority that we should have as a believer. All of the “works” that we strive to attain naturally flow when our focus is intimacy. The more we know Him, the more He is made known to us and around us. We have to become like the cat in the sink of running water that clings to the hand of its owner in desperation. I want to challenge you to intentionally and continually lean into Him. As we move further into this book and the things that He does let intimacy remain your focus.
I hope you enjoyed this week's post! This is one of my favorites that the Lord has given me to write. If you would like to read more https://www.amazon.com/Prayer-Sons-Unlocking-Supernatural-Beholding-ebook/dp/B07CQCLLVL. Now let's chat below!