KEY SCRIPTURE: Matthew 21:12-13 

And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves. And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.

RELEVANCE

A church in Brooklyn, New York, gets a turnout of 1800 people to their midweek prayer meetings. To add to that, on preaching days, they have a prayer team out the back committed to continuous praying throughout the service.  

When I attended a church in Bendigo in the '70s, they held two church meetings on Sunday, a prayer and praise meeting on Wednesday nights, and a prayer meeting every Mon-Fri morning from 6.00 am, and 7.00 am on Saturdays. 

Some people understand the importance of prayer. 

The temple is a church in today's Gentile language, but how much prayer occurs? On a pie chart, prayer seems to be a very small wedge compared to music, coffee shops, and other meetings.

Jesus could have said, "My house shall be called the house of sermons!" or "The house of Christian music!" or "The house of Bible studies!" or "The house of holy communion!" or "The house of offerings for the poor!" But He didn't. Although most churches have those ministries, He said, "House of prayer!" 

You can attend many churches today, and the focus would be on the music and the sermon. Maybe they have prayer nights on other nights, but the importance of prayer cannot be understated. 

The temple is also an interpretation of our hearts. How much of our day is taken up in prayer? Again, it is a small wedge of the day's pie. 

The words prayer and pray are used for many reasons throughout the Bible. When Jesus was in the garden before his trial, he didn't sit down with the Torah and look up scripture or hold a sing-along with the guys. He went to prayer! 

The Apostle Paul instructs us in Ephesians 6:18 as a part of our spiritual armour to pray always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

A revealing study was undertaken by Pew Research Center (USA). They surveyed 25,000 people on the Frequency of Prayer among Christians. 68% said they prayed at least daily, which is quite an amount. However, it also means that 32% don't pray daily. How does that work regarding staying in touch with the Lord?

If we are the Lord's house, and the Holy Spirit dwells within, shouldn't we endeavour to pray as often as possible? Shouldn't we feel a strong sense of urgency to pray—a spiritual urge? Wouldn't it become second nature to pray and praise all day long?

Many people enjoy prayer and give it rein often. Praying to our living God through Jesus, our Saviour can be our joy and meat for the day. 

Do you have a prayer schedule? A place and time where you pray and a list of people and things for which to pray? Is your heart burdened with the need to pray? 

If you have yet to be as close to prayer as you should be, you can start now. It'll bring you closer to God than you have ever been. 

PRAYER

Dear Lord, teach us to pray. Give us a burden to pray and help us see the need to be walking prayer people ready for battle, empathy, or consolation.  

Photo by Ben White