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40 HOLY DAYS
 
COVENANT
Click HERE for Covenant Video Introduction
(for webpage version click HERE)

Week Two
Holy Image

Day 11
Day Eleven Devotions:
MORNING MEDITATION
AFTERNOON DEVOTION
EVENING PRAYER
MORNING MEDITATION

 

Morning Meditation: "In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son,  whom He appointed heir of all things, and through whom He made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of His being..." - Hebrews 1:1-3a 


The universe was lit up with brilliant Light, and the stage was set. All of creation banded together: the lapping waves of the waters, rustling leaves of the trees, singing birds of the air, leaping fish in the sea, and buzzing insects of every kind, to fill the great auditorium of creation with the sounds of a symphony tuning up its instruments for the grand opening act. The whole world was abuzz with activity and teeming with life awaiting the main character to make His entrance. Across the stage a shadow was cast, and for a moment heaven held its' breath to see what form He would take. When the opening line was finally read, the chorus erupted with a song of praise: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests" (Luke 2:14).

 

The beauty, majesty, splendor, goodness, wisdom, omniscience, omnipotence, omnipresence, transcendence, faithfulness, mercy, justice, grace, infinitude, permanence, and holiness of God stepped into the spotlight in the glorious person of Jesus Christ. "The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth" (John 1:14). When holy God spoke His redemptive word He pulled from the fullness of His holy alphabet the One Word from which all others originated from; the One Word which would fully express His holiness and perfection - The Word, Jesus. The Alpha and Omega became living flesh and made His dwelling among us, and the glory of God was made visible to all. "Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father...Believe Me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me" (John 14:9b, 11a). This morning let us meditate on the magnitude of the truth that is encapsulated in that one word - Jesus. Let us offer up praise to the One who did not leave us alone or in the dark, but filled the world with His light and presence and stepped out of heaven and into our hearts.  

 

"Praise the LORD, all you nations;

extol Him, all you peoples.

For great is His love toward us,

And the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever.

Praise the LORD."

(Psalm 117)

 

 

AFTERNOON DEVOTION

 

Afternoon Devotion"I tell you that one greater than the temple is here." - Matthew 12:6

 

God created man in His image so that we could have fellowship with Him and love Him. He chose the nation of Israel out of all the peoples on the earth to be His treasured possession, and He instructed them to build an earthly tabernacle after the pattern of the heavenly tabernacle to be the place where He could dwell among them. Holy God expects His people to be holy; therefore the structure of the tabernacle with its' separate sections, and its' ritual system of worship illustrates how sinful people are to approach a holy God. "Consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am the LORD your God. Keep My decrees and follow them. I am the LORD, who makes you holy"
(Leviticus 20:7-8).

 

God wants His people to have fellowship with Him, and He provided a picture of how we are to worship and serve Him with the illustration of the tabernacle. However, because His purpose is for us to have a deeper, more meaningful union with Him, He sent an even greater illustration in the person of Jesus Christ to dwell with us. The tabernacle in the wilderness is a representation of our earthly bodies in its natural state before the redemptive work of Christ. All our ritual efforts physically will never accomplish what our High Priest came to do within us spiritually - because true holiness and righteousness is a matter of the heart, not the hands. God's desire is for His people and His church to be His holy temple - a holy and sacred place, separated from the world and set apart to Him for His holy presence to dwell. "Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you?" (1 Corinthians 3:16). Praise the Holy Father for sending His Son to tabernacle with us, and within us, so that we can experience perfect, holy union with Him. And praise Him for His love and faithful ministry that has turned endless religious labor into infinite spiritual rest. 

 

"The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment

with the men of this generation and condemn them;

for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon's wisdom,

and now one greater than Solomon is here.

The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation

and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah,

and now one greater than Jonah is here."

(Luke 11:31-32)

 

EVENING PRAYER
 
Evening Prayer of Praise: "From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it. For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John. And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come. He who has ears, let him hear." - Matthew 11:12-15

When God spoke His redemptive Word into the world He issued His trumpet sound with unmistakable clarity. The fullness of God's character is articulated in the perfect person of Jesus Christ. He sent the "exact representation of His being" in human flesh so He could fellowship with us and guide us, with His own hands, into His glorious presence. God put on our garment of human flesh so that we could, not only, see Him clearly, but also, hear Him clearly. He gave us the language of prayer, not for the express purpose of Him hearing us, but even more so for us to hear Him. The more time we devote to prayer - to that gift of holy and divine intercourse with God - the more we will experience the blessing of hearing His voice (He has a lot to share with us if we will just stop talking and let Him speak). Let's remember that the greatest Word ever spoken came from God, and not from man. Let us praise Him this evening for the silence which is our sacred doorway into the holy place of prayer.

 

"I will praise You, O LORD, with all my heart;

before the "gods" I will sing Your praise.

I will bow down toward Your holy temple

and will praise Your name

for Your love and Your faithfulness,

for You have exalted above all things

Your name and Your word.

When I called You answered me;

You made me bold and stouthearted.

May all the kings of the earth praise You, O LORD,

when they hear the words of Your mouth.

May they sing of the ways of the LORD,

for the glory of the LORD is great.

Though the LORD is on high, He looks upon the lowly,

but the proud He knows from afar.

Though I walk in the midst of trouble,

You preserve my life;

You stretch out Your hand against the anger of my foes,

with Your right hand You save me.

The LORD will fulfill His purpose for me;

Your love, O LORD, endures forever -

do not abandon the works of Your hands."

(Psalm 138)



 

Devotional provided by Trumpet and Torch Ministries

Copyright � 2014. All Rights Reserved.

 

Quick Links...
 40 Holy Days Devotional Journey
 The Family Foundation 40 Days for Marriage
40 Days for Marriage Video
On Holy Ground - A Prayer for the Journey
The #1 Question About Fasting? (Fasting 101)
The Garden of God (video message on fasting)
A Glimpse of His Glory (video)
Shepherds After My Own Heart (video message for pastors)
E-mail Archive (If you have missed any emails)

Coming Soon!
October 4th, 2014 - The Great Day of Intercession - make plans now for your congregation to unite at the end of our journey in one day of corporate prayer and fasting to intercede for our nation on the Day of Atonement.

October 5th, 2014 - Day 40 The Final Feast - A day of celebration for the Bride of Christ as we rebuild the prayer altar to become a house of prayer for all nations in a day of Prayer for the Peace of Jerusalem and in prayer for pastors across the nation who will be speaking the Truth in love as they deliver God's Word on Marriage on Pulpit Freedom Sunday.
 
Contact:

Trumpet and Torch Ministries  
40 Holy Days Devotional Prayer & Fasting e-mail journey
www.trumpetandtorch.org
[email protected]
 
The Family Foundation
40 Days of Prayer, Fasting and Repentance for Marriage
www.familyfoundation.org/40daysformarriage
[email protected]