On my wedding day, I chose to wear a veil that covered my face. Once Carter and I were pronounced “husband and wife,” the veil was lifted and Carter could then kiss me. We were no longer separated by the veil…or anything else. That was the moment that we had true intimacy and were considered “one.” The definition of intimacy is “marked by very close association; comfortable; cozy.”
The Tabernacle, made during the time of Moses, was a holy place where people were able to worship the Lord. People would go to the Tabernacle and make their prayers and petitions known to a priest and the priest would go to the throne on their behalf. There was no real intimacy with God for them. You can worship God without having a personal relationship with Him. He longs for an intimate relationship with you….and that involves your time as well as divulging your desires, emotions and goals….you get to know someone by talking to them, having experiences with them and having commonalities. Getting to know someone takes effort!
The Tabernacle was divided into sections: the first room was the inner room which consisted of an alter and a brazen laver (like a wash basin); next, was the outer room or The Holy Place; then there was the Holy of Holies or the Most Holy Place. Only the high priest could enter here…and only once a year…on Yom Kippur. There was a veil dividing the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies-a very thick curtain (said to be 4 inches thick) that guarded people from accessing the Ark of the Covenant and coming into the presence of God.
When Jesus Christ cried out on the cross and took His last breath, the curtain was torn in two, the earth shook and the rocks split. (Matthew 27:51) Jesus Christ became our High Priest and He allows us ALL to come to Him. John 14:16-17 tells us that we were given the Holy Spirit and He will be in us…we no longer need a third party to be involved like a wizard hiding behind a curtain…we can go right to the throne! Until Christ died on the cross, people were separated from Him and couldn’t have a personal relationship (intimacy) with Him…the Holy Spirit was only with a few select people at a time.
We celebrated Easter a few weeks ago. Easter is set aside to remind us that He lives and gives us eternal life with Him. Easter is fun to celebrate but as believers, we can rejoice daily that He is alive! Romans 10:13 says, “Everyone that calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” The Holy Spirit is now living inside of us….not in the ark of the covenant behind the veil-“For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.”-2 Corinthians 6:16
Nothing can separate us from the love of God…not our sin, not a veil or curtain, not another person. I am so glad that each and every day is new and brings new mercies. My constant prayer is “Lord, I long to dwell in your tent forever and take refuge in the shelter of your wings.”-Psalm 61:4 –I want to be face to face with Him in that tent…no separation between us at all, don’t you?
Passions, Pitfalls and Plenty of Prayer 
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