What does it mean to be a priest?

During our training block in Belfast last Thursday, I was introduced (probably not for the first time) to a verse in Joel which has really impacted me and made me assess the way I live my life as a priest in the Kingdom of God. Peter reminds us in 1 Peter 2:5, that we are God's Holy Priests who offer Spiritual sacrifices to God. In Romans 12, Paul pleads with us to give our bodies (or lives) as living sacrifices to God, supporting Jesus' teachings of dieing to self and carrying our cross, so that Christ may live in us. So this has been my understanding of what it means to be a priest, offering my life as a living sacrifice and entering into God's presence (Hebrews 10:19) and interceding for others. What this verse in Joel 2:17 has done is opened my eyes to both the intensity of the priestly prayer, and the position in which I carry out my duties. Let me explain;

"The priests, who minister in the Lord's presence, will stand between the people and the altar, weeping." NLT

Ok, so the priests (you and I) minister in the Lord's presence. Let's just stop there for a second. Did you just grasp what I just said? For centuries in the Old Testament, only a handful of people could enter in God's presence and then they risked their lives in the process. We read about God coming in fire at Sinai and Moses' face glowing, of people being afraid to go near or talk to God and of a God so Holy, that the Israelites couldn't even say His name (Yahweh) to each other. Yet we can enter into God's presence as Jesus has torn the curtain and not only that, but we are carriers of His presence! (Jeremiah 31) We carry God's presence! People died when they touched the Ark! Wow!

Right, gone slightly off track there, but do meditate on that. Anyway, this passage in Joel gives us an insight to our position as priests, between the people and the altar. What is this saying? Well, I believe it is reminding us that we have a duty to serve both the people in the practical and the spiritual and that there is a balance that we need to find between being hidden in the secret place (Matt 6:6) and being seen, showing our light to the world (Matt 5:15). I can imagine there being a movement as the priests spend time at the altar, interceding, spending time with God, getting His heart for the world around them and then being sent out to minister to the people before returning to God with more requests on their behalf with a greater love and passion.

I had an experience of this in action while part of a team helping my friend Kelly in a place called Boys Town in Mexico. We had a prayer room set up just outside the walls of this area of legalised prostitution, drug use etc, which we prayed in small teams for 3 hour shifts over a 15 hour period. This was our place of intercession and praise in God's presence and as we prayed for Boys Town, our hearts grew more and more in love for the place and the people as we engaged with God's heart. In the evening, we would then go into Boys Town, carrying God's presence, filled with love and compassion, letting our lights shine in a very dark place. We weren't motivated by guilt or duty, but out of a deep longing to see God's kingdom come, which had flowed out of our time with the Father. We would then return to the prayer room, with names and faces to pray for, with a deeper hunger to see God move as what we had heard and seen had broken our hearts. Our prayer requests had become personal. God would then give us a deeper love and compassion in the place of prayer, which would overflow into our time in Boys Town. Our hearts had been taken to a level above our fears and our own personal feelings and even found that God was healing our own hearts in the process! So there was this rhythmical movement, almost like breathing or a heartbeat. Needless to say, it was an amazing time as Jesus did His thing and we tried our best to follow. Unfortunately, I have not translated this principle to my life after. My balance is off. I often find myself going from one extreme to the other. Spending loads of time in prayer, but not acting in obedience when God speaks or getting burnt out as I try to minister to anyone and everyone, without spending much time with the source of life and love. If I spent my whole time inhaling, I would die, just as if I was constantly exhaling.

When we look at the life of Jesus (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John), He had this concept of breathing, or movement, in perfect balance. He would only do what He saw the Father doing (John 5:30), which ultimately led Him to the cross. This obedience came out of a disciplined prayer life, that would involve retreating or withdrawing (Matt 9:10), staying up all night (Luke 6:12) or getting up early in the morning (Mark 1:35). This time in prayer meant that everything Jesus did was out of a pure motive of love and compassion. Matt 9:35-38 is a great example of how even in great tiredness, Jesus' compassion compelled Him to pray with those in need. It was no longer about Him and how He felt, but the Father and His will. Something I want more of! It is out of this God given compassion that the priests mentioned in the verse from Joel find themselves in tears. When we feel God's heart for the poor and the broken and the hurting, then we will find ourselves in tears. Fact! This is the intensity of God's heart and should be reflected both in the intensity of our prayers and the way in which we conduct ourselves.

Well, I've written quite a lot (again), but these are my thoughts. My prayer for you is that you would discover what it means to minister inbertween the altar and the people and that as we withdraw to the secret place with God, He would initiate an outward movement to the people around us, which would lead back to the place of prayer as we breath in more of Him.

Blessings,

Dan