Here are the most common questions about Temple or Tabernacle Prayer. If you have others just email them to us and we will get you an answer.
1. What is the Tabernacle Prayer?
The Tabernacle Prayer or 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 stations in the Tabernacle represents fundamental aspects of our relationship with God. Visiting each station in order follows the Temple pattern ordained by God as a way to worship Him based on the process or pattern he gave to Moses and King David. This pattern originates in the Temple in Heaven. So worshipping the LORD in his Temple is an eternal reality. If you are a Christian you will do this one day. Why this is not taught in the church today is a great mystery.
2. Who developed the Tabernacle Prayer?
The Tabernacle Prayer was developed by Pastor Yonggi Cho. Dr. Cho passed away in 2021. He was the founder of the largest Christian church in the world. Yoiddo Full Gospel Church in Seoul, Korea. Dr. Cho had prayed the Tabernacle Prayer regularly for over 50 years and attributes his ministry success to praying through the Tabernacle in this manner. Click here to watch Pastor Cho teach about Tabernacle Prayer.
3. Where is Temple Prayer in the Bible?
Temple prayer is not found in the Bible like the Lord’s prayer. Temple prayer is made up of thousands of bible verses that all present God’s original worship pattern. It’s how he commanded his people to worship him in Moses’s Tabernacle, Solomon’s Temple, Herod’s Temple, and in the future 3rd Temple, the Milennial Temple. But the pattern doesn’t come from an earthly temple, it comes from Heaven. The temple in heaven has always been the original Temple and that is why God told Moses and David to build those earthly tabernacles EXACTLY according to the pattern He would give them. So while you won’t find a passage called “the temple prayer” or “the tabernacle prayer” in the Bible on a certain page, you will find thousands of scriptures that are all part of how to worship God and pray according to the Temple pattern.
The Temple or Tabernacle Prayer assumes that because the LORD put thousands of verses about how to worship Him in the Bible, then God must be communicating an incredibly important pattern and process of how people should approach Him for worship. God laid out that pattern when he gave the Temple pattern originally to Moses for the Tabernacle in the wilderness and then to King David which became Solomon’s Temple. Why was Jesus so passionate about Herod’s Temple that he made whips and drove out the money changers? Because they were defiling His Father’s house of worship which carried the same pattern and furnishings as Moses’s Tabernacle and Solomon’s Temple. If Jesus had such zeal for His Father’s house, how should we feel about it?
4. Isn’t this some type of legalistic ritual?
Like anything else, you could certainly make Temple prayer legalistic if you tried. Following a form or pattern of prayer or bible reading does not in itself make it legalistic. When the letter of the law (2Co 3:6) becomes more important the the Law of the Spirit (Rom 8) then anything can become religious.
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 to 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 Tabernacle pattern is a form of worship that God commanded to be done for thousands of years. It’s actually a form that originates in Heaven and was originally given to Moses by God for worship on earth. This pattern was fulfilled in Jesus Christ. As every aspect of Temple worship points to Jesus and was fulfilled by Jesus, it is one of the best ways to learn more about our Lord Jesus and to practice His presence.
Jesus said “tear down this Temple and I’ll rebuild it in three days.” He declared his body to be the Lord’s Temple when He said this. We know that in the very last chapter of the Bible John sees Jesus as the Temple in the New Jerusalem. We also know Paul taught that the body of every Christian is a temple. So each of our bodies, are temples of the Holy Spirit. We are temples because Holy Spirit dwells inside us.
And we know the original and true Temple has always existed in Heaven. We know Jesus is the High Priest of the Temple in Heaven. And we are members of a Royal Priesthood. So the practice of drawing near to God according to His Temple pattern actually makes a lot of sense when you consider all the biblical facts. Tabernacle Prayer can be a great blessing to anyone who explores it in a life-giving 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, especially when you are first learning it. It can be prayed through in 15 minutes but you would lose many of the benefits of praying this way as 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). From our experience, we have found 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 how can I possibly fit one more thing into my busy schedule?
This is a sobering reality…when we make any other activity a priority over our time with God in the morning (sonship & priestly role) , we are in danger of work or other activities an idol. These days we don’t worship statues of wood or stone, but an idol can be as innocent as anything or any activity (even good and important activities) that takes regular priority over God in our lives. The “good” can become the enemy of “God’s best” for you. 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, nothing is more important than your identity as an adopted son or daughter of the King and your priestly role when it comes to fulfilling God’s ultimate purpose for your life. The fact is, when you honor God by putting him first, he will bless all your other roles and activities even more. In the long run, honoring God with your time will bring incredible benefits and bear much fruit. Much more so than doing things driven by urgency or your appetites. This is a fundamental promise of God.