"My House is the House of Prayer for All Nations" –Jesus
Jim Cymbala (as told in his book Fresh Wind Fresh Fire) saw a small rag
tag group of churchgoers that were surrounded by a city of muggers,
transvestites, drug addicts and more. In shock, realized he was in
trouble. Overcome by his own inadequacy to lead the church and his
community, he began to search for answers, which can only come from
God. As he prayed, he realized that God’s power would be with them,
only if he and the church learned to consistently call on His name to supply
their needs. To this day, the church meets on Tuesday nights for a prayer
meeting; one of calling out to God to supply their needs in order to reach the
lost around them.
After beginning the weekly “House
of Prayer” meeting, they began to see God work powerfully in the lives of
people swallowed up in sin and society. To their amazement the broken
people around them began to give up their wrecked lifestyles for Christ. Gang bangers were being transformed into
learning to be leaders for the Lord. Their church began to grow—toward maturity
and in numbers. Cymbala concluded: “If the spirit of brokenness and calling on
God ever slacks off at Brooklyn Tabernacle, we’ll know we’re in danger—even if
we have 10,000 in attendance.”
Prayer transcends disunity and
brings people together for God’s purpose – possibly the saving of a Nation as
well as individuals…
"It
is written, 'My House is the house of prayer for all nations, but you have made
it a den of robbers'" (Luke 19:46; Mark 11:17).
The week before Jesus'
crucifixion is one of the busiest recorded in Scripture. Jesus knew His
time was drawing near, so everything He did was for a purpose-from the riding
on the donkey to the cursing of the fig tree; from the breaking of the bread to
the cleansing of the temple. The temple of Jerusalem was a busy place not
only for the local people but for visitors too.
When Jesus cleared the merchants
out of the temple area that was only the surface of what He was upset about.
Lack of prayer in the Temple courts was the root of the problem, that’s why
Jesus was so angry, there were so many distractions the real purpose of the
Temple was not evident.
In His anger, he did not sin, but
he made it perfectly clear that God’s dwelling place is to be a House of Prayer
for all people then and now. It is as if Jesus was saying to his
disciples - "How long before you get this? You are up next, you better
have your faith strong and in order because I'm going to my Father in heaven -
you're up, are you ready for the task?"
Yes, we meet and pray in our
“church buildings”, “house churches”, etc., but more than that, we are the
dwelling place of the Holy Spirit, our bodies are the temple of God.
Everything I do with my body, I do it to God's temple. Am I robbing Him
or am I truly “a house of prayer for all nations?”
Holy
Father, in Jesus name I pray, Come examine your temple and cleanse me of all
that distracts me from You and the work you’ve called me to do. Amen
Carolyn
‘Jo’ Gower
