If you are someone who loves to pray or desires deeper intimacy with the Lord, you have undoubtedly made room for Him somewhere in your heart or home, a place where you can be alone and quiet with Him, undisturbed. I know many His Inscriptions readers who have created special places in your homes, offices, or prayer cottages where you warmly welcome the Holy Spirit to come and abide with you. I have been blessed to visit or pray in some of these places over the years, and there is nothing on earth like them; they represent holy ground! Some of us, though, especially during the pandemic, have found that the private spaces we once had became crowded with other people!
Our family had to make some serious adjustments in our tiny two-bedroom home exactly one year ago. Our oldest son had to move back home from college and four out of five of us began working from home. What we thought would be a "short-term squeeze" turned into a marathon event, with every room of our house occupied nearly 24/7!
Suddenly, I found that the only place I could worship or pray without interruption was in my living room, in the early-morning hours between 1 and 5 AM. (This represented the narrow window of time between when my college-aged son finally went to sleep and my husband got up for work!) In weaker moments, I secretly wished that I had a dedicated prayer room, an office, or a truly quiet place with a closed door; a "sanctuary" reserved for times of prayer and prophetic counsel. I blissfully remembered beautiful prayer rooms I visited at conferences and in churches around the world. There was simply no space in our current home to do so! One such night, the Father interrupted my thoughts and said, “Why do you desire an earthly prayer room when you have a heavenly one? Did I not make a way for you to spend time in MY prayer room?” 
Immediately I felt so foolish! Why wish for beautiful things to surround me on earth when the Lord has invited me to worship Him in a heavenly place of beauty and holiness? What is temporal beauty compared to eternal holiness?! The Lord did not condemn me for my small-mindedness. Instead He asked me if I’d like Him to “show me around” His “prayer room.” I quickly said yes! He ignited my faith through an image I already held in my mind. I often like to light a candle when I pray or study at night, and I had just been thinking to myself that there would certainly be scented candles and soft lighting in any prayer room I created! Suddenly, the Lord opened up a vision to me. I saw the Father reach beside Him to a place on the right of His throne. He took in His hand what looked at first like an ancient oil candle. On closer inspection, however, I saw that it was actually a clay pot or bowl filled with incense. The prayers of His saints! The Father spoke and said that He, too, loves the "sweet scent" of the prayers of His people, and He held the bowl of incense before Him, savoring it. The delicate sentiment of His heart made me weep: I had never seen such a tenderness on His part concerning our prayers. While many people see the throne room as a place of governance, rule, kingship and unapproachable holiness, to the Father the throne room is His prayer room. This is the place where Christ intercedes, saints and angels gather, petitions are made, and decrees are expedited. (See Revelation 4 & 5.) How amazing that our Father invites us to remain with Him; to come to His “prayer room” as often as we wish! It is important that we see the throne room this way, since intercession is Christ's primary ministry. What touched me most deeply about this encounter was the sweetness of the Lord’s heart towards His intercessors; the things we most value are things He values also. I saw a gentle, meditative side to the Father that I had not seen before, and this was such a blessing! I did not want to leave His Presence. But it was nearing 5:00; I would not be undisturbed for much longer. 
A LOVE LETTERAs I moved to leave, the Father stretched His hand out to me. In His hand was a sheet of paper. He gave me a parchment-colored page which contained black lettering and a red title. The title read: “A LOVE LETTER TO INTERCESSORS.” The Father said, “Write this down for My intercessors. The way to your heavenly prayer room has been opened, purchased with My Son’s blood. I am inviting My people to abide here with Me. WE desire your fellowship so deeply that Christ willingly restored access for you through His death and His blood. Use this exact title when you write. Tell them!” Astonished, I took the letter and stared at its title, which was written in large, red letters. I was overwhelmed with the knowledge that the title was penned in my Savior’s blood. I saw the Lord Jesus standing near the Father as I was given the letter. There was such love, such a strong desire, such a longing in their hearts for believers to know that we have access to the most beautiful place of prayer imaginable in heavenly realms! As I left, I agreed to write the letter and duplicate what I saw in the vision. You now hold the letter in your hands. 
Amidst all the recent emphases on heaven's courtrooms, powerful decrees, and divine justice, I believe the Lord’s letter is a reminder that heaven’s prayer room is as much about Presence as it is power. Its primary emphasis will always be more personal than procedural. (Although protocol is certainly important, too.) I believe the Father is issuing a heartfelt call to intercessors to return to the “first love” sentiment of prayer: a place where holiness and justice happen first in the context of heart-to-heart fellowship between Father and child. Nothing has escaped His notice; He is still sovereign and it is as important to rest intimately in His love as it is to war on His behalf. God has inscribed, at tremendous cost to Himself, an invitation which reads: “I LOVE YOU. You are welcomed into the most intimate place in heaven: My personal prayer room. Come and have fellowship with Me in the place of beauty and holiness I have created for you!” Prayers ascend to the Lord as incense before His sapphire throne, an offering He so savors! Our prayers ignite flames of desire and passion in His heart; He cannot help but respond when we come to Him this way! Intercessors emerge from the holiest of all prayer rooms scented with the fragrance of Christ; His aroma permeates every part of our beings. Most amazingly, intercessors and friends of God find that as we sit and share these times of covenant communion with the Lord, He is all the while laying the foundations of our own lives with costly sapphires and shining stones; a Father's beautiful blessing to His beloved children. 
GO DEEPER: SCRIPTURES FOR MEDITATION Revelation 8:3-5; Revelation 4 & 5; Isaiah 54:5-17; 2 Corinthians 2:15-17; Ezekiel 1:26-26; John 17:22-26; Romans 8:34; Hebrews 7:25. |
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Deborah Perkins 
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December 2023
AuthorA severe hearing loss from childhood caused Deborah Perkins to develop what she now calls her secret weapon: tuning in to God's voice. A Wellesley College graduate and an award-winning writer, Deborah is now a wife and mother of 3 boys. Deborah has devoted over 25 years to professional and lay Christian ministry in New England and beyond. Her passion is inspiring people to cultivate greater intimacy with God. 
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