
Start at the Cross
Hey Saints - Start at the Cross!
When we begin to pray… lets be sure to get washed & cleansed from the daily grime of a day within the world. Do not we pick up so much junk as we live life within this fallen world?!? We need our “spiritual feet” washed by the Lord before we enter the hallowed halls of prayer.
Just like with Peter… there is no need for a bath of the body… but just the feet! Just like the priests of Levi who were washed before they did the work within the sanctuary of the Lord.
Take some time to go to the Cross and get that daily, sinful, fleshly grime off our hearts, our minds & our souls. The precious blood of Jesus has the power not just to save us but to keep us. It clears out those things that can hinder our sweet time in prayer.
Why is it so important for us to start our time in prayer at the Cross of Jesus?
The cross isn’t just the glorious beginning of our walk with the Lord, but it is also the blessed beginning of our time in prayer! The Cross must be our starting point in our prayer life.
You see… when we start our time in prayer at the cross… getting washed… it will lead us to another location. The cross always leads us to the empty tomb of Jesus! As we pray, we realize that Jesus is Alive. We are not praying to a dead guru, a forgotten leader, or the white ceiling of our bedroom…. We are praying to our Resurrected Savior who is alive indeed. We need to remember this as we pray… Jesus is Alive & He will appear… He is with us, Alive, when we pray.
Yet then, as we pray, we go from the empty tomb to the Mount of Olives… the place where Jesus ascended to the Father. We look up because He has gone to sit at the right hand of the Father. Jesus is our Grand Mediator, our Great High Priest, our Glorious Advocate who makes intercession for us night & day. We pray in His Name & we boldly enter into the throne room of the Father because Jesus has gone before us, He is our anchor behind the veil that holds us as we pray.
Yet then, as we pray, we go from Olivet to the Upper Room of Prayer. There the Holy Spirit descends upon us & empowers us to Pray. As the Spirit is UPON us… we pray WITH the Spirit and IN the Spirit! This is when prayer “avails much”… The Holy Spirit causes our prayer to be effective & fervent!
Yet then, as we pray, we go from the Upper Room of Prayer to then go forth in Boldness. Prayer always empowers us to go forth and obey the Lord in all things. It empowers us to share the Gospel, to apply the Word, to Love the Lord & to Love one another.
Yet remember, Saints… this progression of prayer always starts… it must start… at the Cross of Jesus. Spend time at the Cross today! Thanking Jesus for the Blood, asking for forgiveness, confessing those things that need to be confessed. When we start there, the journey of our time in prayer will be a glorious thing for us & for others.