40 DAYS OF prayer Day 13

THE ATONING DEATH OF CHRIST LUKE 23:44-46

Jesus is our atonement! Paul not only explains the human condition in Romans, but the Law’s requirement. He wrote this with an understanding of the Old Testament’s requirement for blood atonement. This sacrifice of Jesus-taking on our sin and dying in our place—brought about the atonement of our sins. There is a price to pay for sin, and the price was, and will always be, death. In the Old Testament, this death was signified in the sacrifice of the prized lamb. Numbers 28:3–8 describes the atoning sacrifice that was required by God’s Law. Christ was the perfect lamb. In a court of law, we are worthy of the death penalty. Yet Jesus, through His death, saved us from the guilty verdict by becoming our justifier. Jesus took my guilt so that I could be free and so that I could be made right with the Lord.

When Christ died, the veil to the Holy of Holies was torn, which means that we who believe can now have full access to the presence of God because He, the perfect lamb, took away our sins and made us pure. The fall took away our access to the presence; but Christ, through His death and Resurrection, restored our access!

God is here, and God is with us! He desires to heal our wounds, our bodies, and our souls. He loves us and cares for us. Even though He’s seen the depths of our hearts, He loves us the same. His plan is to restore all things, to renew all things, and to destroy the evil one and all his works. This plan begins with our own renewal and restoration and the destruction of the evil within us.

PRAYER POINTS: 1. Seek after His presence and ask the Holy Spirit to fill you so that you can continually live in the now readily accessible presence of the Father!

2. Ask the Lord to reveal any wounds that have been inflicted upon you. Pray for His healing touch.

3. Pray for the Holy Spirit’s ongoing work in your life. »

by Len Maher