After we have gone to the altar of burnt offering, the table, the lampstand, and the ark, we arrive at the golden altar of incense. When we come to this altar, our unique taste, our only interest, is to pray.
What kind of prayers shall we offer at the incense altar? Shall we pray private prayers or personal prayers? No, the prayer we offer at the incense altar will be intercessory prayers. Whenever we open our mouth to pray at the incense altar, the prayer that will issue forth will not be personal, individual prayer. It will be intercessory prayer. Here we no longer have any interest in ourselves or in our welfare. Instead of considering ourselves and praying for ourselves, we intercede for others. At that time we shall be in our experience a real member of Christ, a genuine part of the Body-Christ, the corporate Christ. Furthermore, that will be the time when we cooperate with Christ in His ministry of intercession. He intercedes in a particular way, and we cooperate with Him in His way of interceding. This means that we carry out His intercession in our prayers of intercession. This is marvelous! Here we are truly one with the Lord.
At the altar of burnt offering in the outer court there is a particular kind of depth. There are other depths at the table, the lampstand, the ark, and the incense altar. Hence, concerning the tabernacle and the outer court, there are at least five kinds of depths. In the sight of God, the reason that not many believers today are praying at the incense altar is that they have not experienced all these depths. As we have pointed out, many may pray at the first altar, but few are interceding at the second.
In order to pray at the second altar, we must first experience the altar of burnt offering. In our experience of this altar, we need to have a full realization concerning the blood and the ashes. Then we must go on to experience the bread on the table, the bread that signifies Christ as our life supply. After this, we proceed to the lampstand, which signifies Christ as our light. Following that, we go to the ark, which signifies Christ as God’s testimony. This testimony is versus our natural being. After we have experienced the first altar, the table, the lampstand, and the ark, we may come to the incense altar and remain there.
Once we arrive at the incense altar, we should stay here longer than at any other place in the outer court or the tabernacle. Here we need to pray again and again. This golden altar of incense is the destination of the divine tour. The tour begins at the altar in the outer court, passes through the table, the lampstand, and the ark, and stops at the incense altar. Because the divine tour stops here, we need to stay here to pray.
Where are you when you pray? You may say that you are in God. However, this answer is too general. You need to specify a particular place. Where do you stay when you are in God? Do you remain at the table? Or do you remain at the lampstand or at the ark? It is very good that we spend time at the table, the lampstand, and the ark. But we should not remain at these places, because they are not our destination. Our destination is the incense altar. Because the incense altar is our destination, once we arrive there we should remain and continue there in prayer.
After you have more experience, you will understand more fully what I am saying. Then according to your experience, you will say the same thing. You will declare, “After passing through the first altar, the table, the lampstand, and the ark, I am now at the incense altar interceding for God’s interests, for the churches, and for the saints.” If we remain at the incense altar, then in Christ and with Christ we shall have something that ascends to God. This is our prayer.