Leviticus 9:4
“Also a bullock and a ram for peace offerings, to sacrifice before the LORD; and a meat offering mingled with oil: for to day the LORD will appear unto you.”
I fear too often we are very flippant about how we come to God in prayer. Because Jesus died on the cross, we have clear access to God through prayer at any time. This access to God can be taken for granted if we are not careful, which will cause us to come before God unprepared.
The children of Israel were not flippant at all when it came to God’s presence. In the verse above, God told Israel that He would “appear unto you.” You can only imagine the excitement, and yet the fear they had in their hearts to have God appear to them. This was not a common occurrence. To prepare for God’s presence, they were told several things they were to do, and those same things we also should do as we prepare to go into His presence.
First, confess your sin. In verse 2, they were told to take a calf and offer a sin offering. They were going into the presence of a holy God, and in His presence there must be no sin. Before you ever enter the closet of prayer, I believe it is wise to take the time to confess your sin to God. You must not go into His presence with the filth of the world upon you. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you the sins in your life, and as He reveals them to you confess them to God so that you may be clean when you enter His presence.
Second, have a place where you meet God. Verse 5 talks about the children of Israel coming close to the tabernacle to meet with God. I believe it would be a good thing that you have a place where you meet with God on a regular basis. Make it a place that is more sacred than others. Certainly, we can go to God at any time and in any place, but that place where you go to daily meet with Him should be a place that is set apart in your mind for Him.
Third, have a set time to meet with God. Again in verse 5, they came together at a certain time to meet with God. Let me again encourage you to have a set time when you regularly meet with God. I believe the best time to do this is earlier in the day, and preferably before you set out to do business. You are going into the presence of God, and I believe there should be a respect of Who He is, and setting a time will help you to do that.
Third, take the time to thank God for the blessings in your life. Throughout this chapter you see God talked often about burning the fat upon the altar. This is symbolic of the blessings of God. There are so many blessings that come our way that we should not have any problems with thanking God for them. This is all to help remind you of your helplessness without an Almighty God.
Finally, don’t take coming into God’s presence for granted. Right after God met with the children of Israel, you see Nadab and Abihu offering strange fire upon the altar. God killed them for this strange fire, for God wanted the fire to ever be burning. I believe what they did was they took for granted that they were in God’s presence, and that is why it didn’t bother them to offer the strange fire.
Though God may not kill you for being flippant in His presence, you should not tempt Him to do so. Always be reverential as you come into His presence. Go into His presence understanding the privilege you have to do this. I believe when you do this you will find your time with God is more sacred and fulfilling. Be sure the next time you pray that you take the time to prepare yourself for God, and you will find a more satisfying prayer life.