Take some of the blood that is on the altar and some of the anointing oil, and sprinkle them on Aaron and his garments, as well as on his sons and their garments. In this way, he and his garments will become holy, as well as his sons and their garments.    (Exodus 29:21)
 
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD.  “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”    (Isaiah 55:8-9)
 
Chapter 28 of Exodus describes in detail the special garments to be made for the priests to wear to minister in the tabernacle.  They were to be made by skilled, divinely-inspired craftsmen using the best materials: fine linen, gold, and yarn died blue, purple, and scarlet.  As part of the consecration ceremony for the priests, God instructed Moses to sprinkle the priests’ garments with the blood of a ram and with anointing oil.  I, in my human-ness, in my earthly wisdom, see a laundry nightmare.  Nothing is harder to get out of fabric than oil and blood!  “Ruined,” I would say of the garments.  But God says, “No, holy.”  This is a small, and perhaps a silly, example of how our human perspective is different from God’s.  Prayer is the forum where I acknowledge before God that His ways are not my ways, seek to understand His ways, and submit to them (even if I don’t understand them). 
 
Here are some suggestions for prayer this week:
 
1.  Sanctity of Human Life Sunday was yesterday.  The number of abortions in the U.S. has been declining, but over 1 million babies are still aborted – murdered – every year.  Over 56 million have died since abortion was legalized in 1973.  Truly, our nation has sinned and done wrong, and we are covered with shame.  (See Daniel 9:4-19)  Pray that Americans’ eyes would be opened to the evil of abortion, and pray that the Lord would stir American Christians to take a strong and vocal stand.
 
2.  Join the Wards in thanking God for Ella’s successful back surgery last week.  Ella is doing very well.  She is experiencing dizziness from the pain meds, but is up and walking the hospital halls.  She may go home today.  Please continue to pray for Ella and her family as she recovers.
 
3.  Lift up our Sunday School teachers.  Thank the Lord for their ministry.  Ask Him to encourage them and show them, week by week, how to teach and model the faith.
 
4.  Seen on Facebook shortly after Robin Williams’ death: Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about.  Be kind.  Always.  Ask the Holy Spirit to remind you of this truth as you interact with people today.
 
5.  As we thank God for the good gifts He has given us, we recognize that we will never exhaust the list of blessings.  Find several new things to thank God for this week.
 
6.  I talked to a woman recently who shared that her husband is an agnostic because there is no indisputable proof that God exists.  That is true!  But if God revealed Himself to the extent of proving His existence, every living person would be overwhelmed by His glory and power.  There would be no choice but to bend the knee and submit to Him as Lord.  God values our freedom so highly, and He wants so much for us to accept Him freely, that He veils His glory so that we have a choice.  Praise Him for that, and pray that He will pursue the agnostics in your life.
 
7.  The 90 women who attended the Women’s Ministry event last Friday heard a powerful personal testimony of God’s ability to break addiction.  The woman who spoke encouraged us to be patient with addicts and, most importantly, to keep praying for them.  Let’s do that.  

In Christ,
Carol Gilbert, Prayer Chair
Calvary Community Church of Brea