“Now while he (Zechariah) was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty, according to the custom of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense. And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense” (Luke 1:8-11).
Here in the birth narrative of Jesus Luke gives us the story of the announcement of the birth of John the Baptist by the angel Gabriel to his father Zechariah. Being the excellent historian Luke was he includes little details that appear as background information to the story. We as modern westerners in a fast paced world tend to get impatient with Luke as he tells the story. We often have the attitude, even if we do not verbalize it, “Yea OK, hurry-up and get to the main point!” This attitude is to our shame and detriment in seeing the glory of God and how we should live today.
Imbedded in this narrative Luke gives us are some small details that give us a big picture in how God works and how we should live our lives as Christians today. Tucked away in verse 10 are the words, “And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense” (Luke 1:10). To us the modern reader it seems to not contain much. However, this attitude is because we lack some knowledge Luke assumes his first century readers know.
During the afternoon each day the offer of incense was made as a corporate act of worship by the people as they gathered at the temple. The priest would go into the temple and offer the incense offering on the alter as the people outside were gathered together in corporate prayer. At this point in Jewish history the expectations and hope for the promised Messiah were high. It is during these daily corporate prayers that the people as one body would pray corporately asking God to send the promised Redeemer of Israel.
It was during this period of corporate prayer to Yahweh that the angel Gabriel appeared to announce the birth of the promised messenger that would go before the Lord in the spirit and power of Elijah (Mal 4:5-6; Luke 1:17). The immensity of this fact should not escape us. Gabriel could have come at any time and at any place, but it was during the time when the people were gathered to pray for the promised Messiah to come that the LORD sent Gabriel to announce John’s birth.
Does this historical fact have any relevance to how we live today? I think so, in a very profound way even. If we really want to see a special pouring out of God’s Spirit in our communities and on our churches, we should pray with the same zeal and community the Israelites did. We must pray earnestly in private for God to send His Spirit to open the doors of the gospel to the lost and to pull back the veil that blinds unbelievers from seeing the glory of God and the gospel (2 Cor 4:3-4). However, we must also gather together intentionally as one body to pray corporately for God to send His Spirit and remove the veil. If God would not send His angel to announce the coming of the promised messenger until God’s people were gathered together to pray for Him to send the Messiah, why should we expect God to send His Spirit in a strong and powerful way without our gathering to pray for that outpouring of the Spirit?
Whether it is an upcoming evangelistic event or a general outreach program of our local Church we should make a time of corporate prayer for God to send His Spirit a major and central part of the plan. Corporate prayer should not be an “add-on” feature at the last minute or as perfunctory duty one must perform to look like we are asking God to participate in this work. Corporate prayer must be viewed and practiced as an integral and essential centerpiece of the event planning.
Take this truth, revealed to us by the Spirit, and meditate upon it. If you are involved in an outreach program, as so many churches will do at Christmas, seek God’s guidance in forming a corporate prayer time for your event. At the very least set apart a time with your group conducting the event for a time of earnest and unhurried corporate prayer for God to send His Spirit and work in your event. If you are the leader in your church or a leader of the group conducting an event at your church I plead with you to call a special time of corporate prayer with the whole Church body. The importance of corporate prayer has been lost on modern evangelicals, now is the time for a recovery of the discipline of corporate prayer.
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