FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions About the Tabernacle or Temple Prayer
1. What is the Temple Prayer? The Temple Prayer is a form of prayer where one prays to God using the stations in the Tabernacle as a prayer guide. Each of the 6 stations in the Tabernacle represent one fundamental aspect of our relationship with God. Visiting each station in order follows the Temple pattern ordained by God as a way to approach Him.
2. Who developed the Temple Prayer? The Temple Prayer was developed by Pastor Yonggi Cho, leader of the largest Christian church in the world. He has prayed it each day for over 40 years and attributes his ministry success to praying through the Tabernacle in this manner. Click here to watch Pastor Cho teach about it in an online course.
3. How is this Prayer different than others? Prayer is expected and commanded by God. All forms and types of prayer are good. This particular form of prayer has proven to be especially effective in transforming minds, building up people in their faith, as well as many other benefits. The difference is that the Temple Prayer assumes God has an established, ordained, pattern of how people should approach Him. And he laid out that pattern when he gave the Temple pattern originally to Moses. Click here to read more.
4. Isn't this some type of legalistic ritual? You could certainly make it that if you tried. Following a form or pattern of prayer or bible reading does not in itself make it legalistic or bad. Legalism happens when the form or pattern becomes more important than the purpose of the activity. For example the Pharisees memorized their bible but failed recognize the author of the Bible when He stood before them. Their form of worship had become more important than the purpose of their worship. The Temple pattern is a form of worship that God commanded to be done for thousands of years. It was fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Jesus said "tear down this Temple and I'll rebuild it in three days." He declared himself to be the Lord's Temple when He said this. We also know Paul taught that all Christians are the Lord's Temple in that He dwells inside us. And we know the original and true Temple exists in Heaven. So practicing approaching God according to His Temple pattern is well established in Scripture and can be a great blessing to anyone who explores it in a lifegiving way.
5. How long does the Temple Prayer take? The Temple Prayer is most useful when you spend one hour or more doing it each day. It can be done in 15 minutes but one of the core aspects of the prayer is spending extended, meaningful times with God so He can do deep things inside of you. If you are looking for a short prayer, perhaps the Prayer of Jabez or the Lord's Prayer would be a better choice.
6. What on earth would you say for one hour? Most Christians pray what is called a "freestyle" prayer. They say whatever comes to mind. And they quickly run out of things to say, so they say, "Amen". When you see the documents we provide for the Temple prayer you will see that one hour can pass quickly. But it never feels like an hour, more like 15 or 20 minutes. And what price tag can you put on actually experiencing God's presence each day? There is nothing like it.
7. Where do you find the time to pray for one hour? It's very easy to find an extra hour early in the morning for God. Simply go to bed one hour earlier the night before. No doubt our American lifestyle is already quite full of activities (like watching TV). The best time to pray this prayer is first thing in the morning. This is based on a few simple facts of your relationship with God. First, as Christians we are members of a royal priesthood. As a priest our job is to give God the first fruits of our day. As a priest we are to minister to God first in His temple (our bodies). If we do our part, God will do his part. He will give us everything we need to be successful that day. Mat 6:33 But seek (aim at and strive after) first of all His kingdom and His righteousness (His way of doing and being right), and then all these things taken together will be given you besides. The Temple Prayer is a daily practice of obeying that Scripture.
8. Hey, I love God, but I can't possibly fit one more thing into my busy schedule. When we make any other activity a priority over our priestly role in the morning, we are in danger of making an idol. An idol is simply any thing or any activity (even good and important things and activities) that take regular priority over God in our lives. Your busy schedule can easily become an idol in your life. Although your roles as husband, wife, mother, father, career person, provider, student, etc. are all very important roles, in the final analysis no role is more important than your priestly role when it comes to fulfilling God's ultimate purpose for your life. The fact is, when you honor God in this, he will bless all your other roles and activities even more. You will be far better off than you could ever hope to be doing it your way. This is a fundamental promise of God.
