It was a couple of years after the fall of communism in Czechoslovakia, and my husband and I, along with our three boys, had arrived in the city of Bratislava in August 1991. Our goal was to help a pastor start a Christian school. To live and work there, however, we needed a long-term visa. Because I knew the Czech language, even though in Bratislava Slovak was spoken (the languages are similar), it fell to me to go to the police station to apply for the necessary permission to stay in the country long-term.

In that forbidding building which was the police station, closed doors ran down the length of a dim, narrow corridor. No signs in English explained what to do. I couldn’t just knock; the doors were thickly padded and no one could possibly have heard me. After pondering the situation, I finally I took matters into my own hands. Boldly opening what I thought was the right door, I stuck my head in, using a single word of Slovak to ask if I could come in. My business was soon accomplished. I had broken through the barrier keeping us from a long-term stay visa.

Similarly, when Jesus Christ died on the cross, another barrier was broken. “At that moment the curtain in the sanctuary of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, rocks split apart. (Matthew 27:51 NLT)

The barrier separating the Holy Place, where the priest communed daily with God, from the Most Holy Place, where God dwelt, was removed. Before this time, only the high priest could go behind the curtain of the Most Holy Place, and then only once a year, on the Day of Atonement. He was the only one who could offer sacrifices to deal with the sins of the people. Only he could approach the Lord on their behalf.

Everything changed that day. God removed the barrier between Himself and humankind. Now we are no longer bound by ceremonies, animal sacrifices, or a certain time of the year. We can approach God boldly anytime, anywhere, and He will hear us and answer our prayers.

“So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.” (Hebrews 4:16 NLT)

Prayer: Thank You, Father, that there is no longer a barrier between You and us. Thank You that we can come boldly to You anytime, anywhere to talk to You, and that You hear and answer our prayers. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Alice Burnett
Red Deer, AB, Canada