House of Prayer

The Christian life is about having a relationship with God which is provided exclusively through the death of Jesus Christ for our sins. By dying on the cross, Jesus made it possible for us to be "right" with God permanently for all eternity. But, like any gift, if we are going to enjoy it we must first receive it. The gift of forgiveness of sin and eternal life is available for everyone, but it's not automatic. We must ask Him for it; we must make a move toward God; we must turn to Him.

The primary reason I'm mentioning this is simply because in order to receive this gift of salvation one must exercise the simplest of all Christian disciplines - PRAYER. Prayer is the basic vehicle of communication between man and God. The Bible has many great key teachings on prayer; some are listed below. Let me draw your attention to one particular passage right now.

"On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple area and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. 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 11:15-18)

Jesus is very serious about the exercise of prayer. If fact, He is so serious that He dramatically drives out the people buying and selling in the temple complex. The simple truth that we can easily glean from this is - prayer is more important than a lot of the other things we do at church.

Today, as an act of worship, let's pray fervently, without ceasing, and believing that God will act on behalf of His people.

Food for thought and comment: Compared to the other elements of a public worship service, what percentage is prayer? How much time do you spend in pray each week? What are the major challenges to maintaining a healthy prayer life? What solutions can be found in God's Word?