Exodus 25:23-40

Before Pastor Dave began to preach, he prayed that we would treat God’s word with reverence. I think he meant, take the Bible seriously, spend the time and effort necessary to understand it, and then submit to it. It is tempting to skim through this passage full of detailed instructions for building a table for bread and a lampstand – tabernacle furnishings built and then lost to history thousands of years ago – and toss it aside as meaningless in our day. But that dishonors God’s written word. Ask the Lord to light a fire of enthusiasm for serious Bible study at Calvary. Pray that we will not be content with saying the right thing (“Yes, Bible study is important!”) or having good intentions (“I’ll study the Bible … when I have more time.”).

Reverent study of this week’s passage reveals that, 3500 years before Jesus’ ministry, God was preparing His people for the Messiah. The table for bread pointed to Jesus, the bread of life. The lampstand pointed to Jesus, the light of the world. Jesus Christ is the overarching theme of the whole Bible, the Old Testament as well as the New. Dave asked each of us, “Where do you stand with Jesus Christ?” If you’re not sure, talk to Jesus about it. If you have committed yourself to him, take time to pray for the unbelievers who sat among us on Sunday. There were surely some. Ask the Lord to open their blind eyes and deaf ears, to soften their hearts of stone.

Once again, Dave emphasized that the tabernacle was all about the presence of God and pointed out how strikingly specific God’s instructions were. God’s people were commanded to meet with Him on His terms, not theirs. Dave noted that we modern believers sometimes have the audacity to tweak God’s ways to make them more agreeable to us. Ask the Lord to protect Calvary from that audacity. Pray that our leaders and we as individuals would never soften or dilute God’s message to make it more comfortable for us and less offensive to unbelievers.

Calvary Family

Lift up the youth of the church. The teenage years have been challenging in every generation, and living as a true disciple of Christ was difficult even when cultural Christianity was dominant. But our youth today face intense pressure in a culture that is not simply indifferent to God but actively hostile to Him. Pray that each student will experience God’s reality and character for himself or herself. Ask Him to strengthen our teenagers to be the Daniels of their generation.

In Christ,
Carol Gilbert
Calvary Community Church of Brea

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