When Jesus took a whip in hand and ran the money changers out of the temple, He made a statement-- "My house shall be called the house of prayer". He did not say My house shall be called a house of holiness, a house of good works, a house of peace, a house of righteousness or a house of religion. He said it would be called a house of prayer. His emphasis was on prayer because that is the purpose which His Father had designed for His house.
Presently in the churches prayer is talked about, but not practiced very much. Prayer is given less and less attention to in His house. When I was growing up, and even later in my Christian walk, prayer meetings were common. Now they are rare.
Jesus taught the importance of prayer. He taught it by word and by example. He often would retreat from the crowds and pray. He would often pray all night. He did nothing in His ministry unless He had seen His Father do it and heard Him say to do it. Where did this happen? While He was in prayer.
We wonder why we are so powerless-- when in fact we have residing in us the same power that raise Jesus Christ from the dead. It is because we are "prayer less". Churches look more like a "den of thieves" than they do a "house of prayer". That was true in Jesus' day and it is true in ours. Jesus corrected it, confronted it and showed us God's primary purpose for His house. Are we going to follow His plan or will we keep doing everything else and neglect the main thing He calls His house-- a house of prayer.
This does not mean that there is to be no teaching of His word, no exhortation, no fellowship, etc., but if we neglect the main purpose of His house-- assembling together in united prayer and petitioning the God of Heaven for His will to be accomplished-- then everything else we do will be less affective.
Have a great day. God's house shall be called a house of prayer. Have we made it everything else but that?
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Coffee Break is a morning devotional written by Lorraine Ezell
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