Exodus 27:1-2 “Build an altar of acacia wood, three cubits high; it is to be square, five cubits long and five cubits wide. 2 Make a horn at each of the four corners, so that the horns and the altar are of one piece, and overlay the altar with bronze.
The second stop or station of our prayer is the brazen altar. The altar that was 7.5 feet square by 4.5 feet high was built with acacia wood and overlaid with bronze. Acacia trees are thorny trees found in the desert and scholars believe that the crown of thorns on the head of Jesus were thorns from the acacia tree. Bronze represents sin and the fallen nature of man whereas the wood typifies the old rugged cross where Jesus died for you and me. At the second prayer station Jesus leads us gently and lovingly to the cross.
We don’t have to take a bull or a lamb to sacrifice as Jesus was the perfect sacrifice for our sins. We must only surrender ourselves as living sacrifices at the altar beneath the cross. Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship (Romans 12:1). As we gaze at the cross and confess our sins we will be set free from guilt and condemnation. The blood that drips from the cross will cleanse us as we lay still at the feet of the cross.
Prayer Station-2:
1. Purify: At the cross we are cleansed once more. We cannot proceed to the next stage of prayer without being cleansed, forgiven and liberated from guilt, condemnation and shame.
2. Prepare: At the cross we will be convicted to confess, forgive and let go of the wrongs of others. At the cross we must surrender all our judgemental thoughts, words and actions.
3. Poignant: At the cross we express our love as we experience His compassion engulfing us. It is a poignant time of our prayer when we feel the tangible presence of Jesus.
The second prayer station is the brazen altar that symbolizes the cross of Calvary where we surrender and receive forgiveness.
Prayer: Jesus my Saviour, thank you for the cross and the blood that you have shed that saved a wretch like me. Amen.
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