Posts Tagged ‘House of prayer.’

Scripture reading for March 3rd: Mark 11:1-25, Psalms 46:1-11, Proverbs 10:23

When Solomon dedicated the temple about a thousand years before Jesus visited it, he had dedicated the temple as a place where people could seek the Lord for healing, forgiveness, and deliverance.  The presence of the Lord was in the midst of the nation, with God dwelling there in the Holy of Holies.  People were to come there with their needs and seek God in humble prayer.  “If My people, who are called by My Name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place.  I have chosen and consecrated this temple so that My Name may be there forever.  My eyes and my heart will always be there.” (2nd Chronicles 7:14-16)  God watched over the temple and it was consecrated as a place of prayer!

When Jesus came into the temple on the first day of Passover week, He came riding on a colt of a donkey with the people crying out, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!  Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!  Hosanna in the highest!” (Mark 11:9-10)  He entered the temple as the Son of God and with His eyes He saw and observed what was happening there.  The sight must have grieved Jesus for He went away to pray overnight.

The next day He returned, entered the temple, and began driving out those who were buying and selling sacrifices and changing money.  He overturned tables and caused quite a stir with His righteous anger.  He taught them, “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)  Jesus quoted from Isaiah 56:7 and Jeremiah 7:11 where the prophets had re-emphasized the role of God’s house and rebuked the people for using it for their own selfish purposes.

Now we are the temple of God and God dwells in our midst!  Take a moment to think about your life.  Is your life marked by prayer, not only for yourself, but all nations?  Let your house be marked by prayer!  Remember, the same God lives in you today!

Dear friends,

Greetings again this first day of a new week!  Hopefully, you are spending it gathering with God’s people to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ on the first day of the week.  He began a new day, called ‘today’, a day of salvation and good news for all mankind!  He is alive and we have the hope of eternal life in Him alone!  There is no other name given under heaven among men by which we must be saved!  (Acts 4:12)

As I reflect back on this week’s readings, I am quickly brought back to the prophet Daniel.  His life of dedication and prayer lived out in the country of Babylon in the midst of pagan culture is amazing!  His world was radically changed with the captivity and move to a strange culture.  He kept his spiritual bearings by praying three times a day.  This habit got him into trouble later in his life.  He was probably nearly 90 years old when this habit caused him to be thrown into the lion’s den during the reign of the Persian king Darius.  His faithfulness to pray stopped the mouths of hungry lions. (Daniel 6:19-22)  He got to share with this king about His God and brought Him honor! (Daniel 6:26-27)

Another time, Daniel was reading the Book of Jeremiah where he saw that the captivity would last 70 years and realized that it was almost over.  He began to seek the Lord by fasting and prayer, confessing again the sins of the nation that took them into captivity.  (Daniel 9:4-19)  This beautiful prayer of repentance brought a swift answer from God by means of Gabriel, the Archangel!  The amazing answer was the word concerning the “Seventy ’seven’s” which tells the number of years until the Messiah would come.  Prayer is an awesome privilege and God loves to share with His servants.

God’s House is to be a “house of prayer” for all nations! (Mark 11:17)  We gather to worship and to pray for His kingdom and will to be done.  There is power when God’s people gather together and agree together.  Don’t miss out on gathering today and take time to pray!  Read the Word of God and pray for it’s completion in you and your family!  God hears and will answer!  What a privilege we have!

Have a great week in Jesus!  In His Love, Pastor John