Who is Jesus? His is a House of Prayer

Verses:

'And foreigners who bind themselves to the Lord to minister to him, to love the name of the Lord , and to be his servants, all who keep the Sabbath without desecrating it and who hold fast to my covenant— these I will bring to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.” '

Isaiah 56:6

'And as he taught them, he said, “Is it not written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’ ? But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’ ” '

Mark 11:17

Devotional:

As Christ followers, one of our ongoing goals is to live our life in such a way that we look like Christ to a broken world. In the reading for today, we hear both God the Father and Jesus the Son express the same desire for Their house: that it would be called a House of Prayer. Would you describe your house as a House of Prayer? Isn’t that an amazing compliment? Imagine if your family and neighbors knew that when they hit a rough patch in life, they could come to your house and you would pray with them.

There are several things you can start doing today to make that a reality. Get into the habit of praying with people, not just promising to pray for them. Most of us have experienced someone stopping us to tell us about something difficult that is going on in their life. The conversation usually includes a request: “just pray for me.” What is our normal response? Usually we say, “I sure will.” And then we walk away, get busy, and forget to tap into the power of prayer and actually pray for them. Maybe by the next time we see them, we totally forgot what they asked us to pray about! The next time someone asks you to pray for them, why not stop immediately and pray with them at that moment?

God longs to hear from us, and speak to us, so much so that Jesus gave His life on the cross and physically removed the barrier between God and man. The veil has been torn, and we have access to the throne! Jesus made it possible to access the power of prayer anywhere, anytime. Let’s get better at making prayer our first stop on this journey of life, not a last resort. Keep an ongoing conversation going with God and turn your house into a House of Prayer!

Reflect:
The only answer we have for a broken world is God. He has all that anyone needs, and all that we need. As we pray with other people, we help them gain that answer. God has all we need! When we pray with them, they get to know this God that we love and Who loves us and them. Your prayers can help others seek God and realize His great love for them!

Respond:
What are some things you can do in your life to make your house a House of Prayer? What do you need to do to improve your prayer life?

Pray:
Jesus, thank You for removing the barrier between God and man. I have seen the power of prayer in my life many times. Help me to make prayer a first response to the challenges of this life. And remind me to give You all the glory when things are going well. In Your name I pray, amen.