Throne room prayer

I’m going to be real here. Last week I wrote about keys to praying about a violent act of hatred toward two Muslim women. I speculated about prayers Christians would be very likely to pray, then prayed that God would help us pray “according to what You see from Your throne room”. I followed with some prayer points I felt I had discerned as I listened for His wisdom.

On waking the next morning, my first thought was, “How could I be so presumptuous as to suggest that I’ve heard from God in His throne room?” For the next half hour, I beat myself up for being proud, leading people off track, and so on. Then I received an email from a subscriber to the GHPL who lives in Netherlands. I had met her about four years ago at an international conference and had seen her again briefly in 2019, but there had been no other communication. Her email was to thank me for the prayer letters, ask to be included in the Zoom prayer call and pray God would “bless you with all round peace for the good work you are doing for His Kingdom”. It opened my eyes to what was happening to me and I ended my pity party right away! The accuser (Rev 12:10) had been silenced.

Now that my mind was clear, the Lord reminded me of one of my favorite scripture passages: “Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence for the entrance into the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the curtain, that is, His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us approach with a true heart in the full assurance of faith, our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for the one who promised is faithful (Heb 10:19-23 LEB).

(What Jesus did for us is in red font; our part is in bold.)

Accessing the throne room is not about presumption (transgressing the limits of what is permitted or appropriate) or hubris (excessive pride or self-confidence); it’s confidence in what Jesus did to open the way and cleanse us. It’s our privilege to enter confidently and our responsibility to have true hearts and not waver in faith.

My friend, responding to the Holy Spirit, did her part: “And let us think about how to stir one another up to love and good works…encouraging each other, and by so much more as you see the day drawing near” (Heb 10:24-25 LEB). How we need one another!

Have you paused recently to consider how great a privilege we have to enter God’s sanctuary? Yahweh sent His Son to reveal the Father and establish an intimate relationship with Him. As we pray for Muslims, at least a part of our motivation must be that they have no access to the God who loves them and wants to extend mercy to them. Muhammad never claimed to converse with Allah, only with spirit beings.  All he provided was so-called “right guidance” that requires continual obedience. There is no provision for Muslims to be clean inside and out, despite frequent ritual washing and the annual fast, and no assurance that Allah is faithful.

We worship You Jesus, author and perfecter of our faith. Your blood sacrifice made a way for us to enter the Most Holy Place. Thank You for Your faithful love.

Father, we humbly and confidently come before You now in Jesus’ name, asking You to give us Your heart to pray for what You desire for Muslims.

Please remove the veil from the eyes of those who are longing to know You, so they can see the new and living way You have provided to approach You – the sacrificial blood of Your Son Jesus – and choose to believe and receive what is theirs through faith.

Your throne room prayer: _____________________________________________________