Deepen Your Talk with Him
Three Levels of You – Part 3

Scripture Reading:  Ezekiel 41:1-4

Key Verse:  Ezekiel 41:4

And he measured the length of the inner sanctuary; it was twenty cubits, and its width was twenty cubits across the end of the outer sanctuary. He said to me, “This is the Most Holy Place.”

The final level in the Old Testament tabernacle was the Holy of Holies.  This was the most sacred for God’s people.  Only one priest, the Chief Priest, was allowed to go to this level.  This small room contained the Ark of the Covenant.  Only once a year was the Chief Priest allowed to enter into the Holy of Holies.  Stories are told that they would tie a rope around his waist for fear the priest had not prepared himself properly.  If the priest failed in preparation, he would die in this little room and have to be pulled out.

            The New Testament is clear: Jesus was named the High Priest, replacing all other priests.  Hebrews 4:14 reminds us: “Therefore, since we have a great High Priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God let us hold firmly to the faith we profess.”  And, again, in Hebrews 6:20: “where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf.  He has become a High Priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.”

            Because Jesus went before us, we can enter into the Holy of Holies—that most sacred place to meet with God.  It is here that we reach our deepest level of prayer.  It is here that our intimacy with God reaches its peak.  We can share thoughts with our Father that we wouldn’t share with our closest family.  It won’t be until we get to heaven that we can go any deeper than this.

Father, teach me to pray in the Spirit, going to the depths of intimacy with God.  Open my eyes to anything that prevents this deepest level.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.