I don’t mean what place do you go to pray, but rather where does your prayer take you?

The letter to the Hebrews tells us that Jesus is our high priest, and since he is, we can come to God’s throne with confidence (4:14-16).

A bit later, however, something is written that would have profound meaning for those who understood worship under the Old Covenant of Moses:

“This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil, where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.” 6:19-20

Within the veil!?!? The veil was the curtain that separated the Holy place from the Most Holy place. Only the high priest could enter the Most Holy place, and he could only go in on one day of the year. To do otherwise would have meant his death. No other priest, or Israelite, would ever dare to go there.

But Jesus’ disciples can go anytime they want.

Remember the crucifixion? Matthew writes in his gospel that as soon as Jesus surrendered his spirit to God in death, the veil of the temple was torn in two from the top to the bottom and the earth quaked (27:50-51). This was God’s work, and I believe it was to show us that Jesus took this veil away, welcoming all who would to come before his father’s throne to find help and peace.

Still a bit later in Hebrews we read:

“Therefore brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of
Jesus, by a new and living way which he inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water” 10:19-22

Confidence. A new and living way. Full assurance. Hearts clean, consciences clean. Just wanted to mention this as a reminder of how good we have it in Christ and what his sacrifice has done for us.