“And after the fire came a quiet, subdued voice. When Eliyahu heard it, he covered his face with his cloak, stepped out and stood at the entrance to the cave. Then a voice came to him and said, “What are you doing here, Eliyahu?” (1 Kings 19:12-13). In the beginning, God … moved and also…
Matthew 6:9-13 – The Disciples’ Prayer
Prayer begins with acknowledging the Creator of the Universe who is our Father in heaven, followed by sanctifying His ‘set apart’ Name, yod-hey-vav-hey. The coming Kingdom of God is the rule of God’s Spirit in, through, and over the hearts of mankind. This is the complete fulfillment of the new covenant that will bring forth God’s will on earth as it is accomplished in the heavenly realm.
Prayer – Hebrew: Tefillah
The root of tefillah is palal and has its foundation in the prayer of Pinchas (Phineas) and means ‘to judge’ (Numbers 25). Pinchas was a Levitical high priest who stood against idolatry and ‘judged’ a Midianite woman and Israelite man whose marriage had brought a plague upon the Israelites. This suggests that tefillah is the ‘judging of oneself before a holy God’ through self-examination.
The Vineyard of Elohim
The vineyard is a symbol of the nation of Isra’el who was delivered from the harsh soil of Egypt and transplanted in the land of Canaan. Elohim cleared the land of pagan cities and ‘giants’ so that that His vineyard might be planted in a fertile place.