A House of Prayer
Matthew 21:13 “He said to them, The Scripture says, My house shall be called a house of prayer; but you have made it a den of robbers.” AMP
Have you ever thought much about this house of prayer to which Jesus referred? I’ve been in quite a few churches where the first portion of this verse was prominently displayed in the sanctuary. Just what does it mean, though? Jesus was in the physical temple area when He made this statement, but it wasn’t the building to which He referred. People were buying, selling, and trading with impure and unholy motives, altering the atmosphere of the temple area from one of reverence for the holiness of God to nothing more than a marketplace. That, however, was only an outward symptom of the inward condition of the people’s hearts, which hindered what the Lord desired to do in, for, and through them. Jesus was not referring here to a brick and mortar structure when He referred to His house, but to individuals.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 “19 Do you not know that your body is the temple (the very sanctuary) of the Holy Spirit Who lives within you, Whom you have received [as a Gift] from God? You are not your own, 20 You were bought with a price [purchased with a preciousness and paid for, made His own]. So then, honor God and bring glory to Him in your body.” AMP
If we are the temple of the Holy Spirit, the very sanctuary, as the Amplified calls it, we no longer belong to ourselves. Our purpose now, according to His Word, is to bring glory and honor to Him with our bodies. Have we really set ourselves apart for Him? If we have, and we really believe these two verses from 1 Corinthians 6, we would make many changes concerning our physical bodies. Even more important to the Lord, however, is the very center of the “structure” that houses His Holy Spirit – our hearts – with all its attitudes and motives. If we do not properly maintain our hearts, they will become a den of robbers, hindering the work of God in, for, and through our lives, just as in Jesus’ day.
God wants to call us a house of prayer, not a den of robbers, but what is this house of prayer? The simple definition of prayer is communion, or fellowship, with God; this communion being the basis for all we call prayer. When the Lord looks at you, does He see a house of prayer, a house of communion with Him? Is it possible that’s what He sees sometimes, while other times He sees you fellowshipping with things that actually hinder your communion with Him? The Lord has recently revealed some robbers I have harbored, without realizing it. He has seen them every time I’ve fellowshipped with those thoughts and attitudes that are contrary to His. He has heard every slightest complaint, murmur, and grumble, along with every arrogant, negative, and sarcastic comment – even when I’ve not spoken them in the hearing of others. It was when I was murmuring about someone else’s complaining and murmuring that the Lord opened my eyes to see these robbers in me, defiling my house of prayer! Maybe for you the robbers aren’t complaining, murmuring, or faultfinding, but what about gossip, lying (even the little ones), unforgiveness, self-pity, lust, etc.? If we give our time and thoughts to these thieves or others like them, we are not honoring God and bringing glory to Him in our bodies, but have made our house of prayer into a den of thieves.
These robbers not only steal from us and from the ones we desire to help in prayer, but they steal from our wonderful heavenly Father, Who has made us His own through the gift of Jesus’ life given for us. God wants us to be in communion with Him exclusively, and is willing, as a loving Father, to correct us, pointing out those things in our lives that cause us to live contrary to the nature of our Lord Jesus and keeping us out of fellowship with Him. Oh, but what joy when, through repentance, we are fully restored to fellowship with Him as a house of prayer!
My prayer for you is that your hearts will be open and your eyes will see these things as the robbers they are, so that you might repent and know, once again, the joy of praying unhindered. It’s in the name of Jesus Christ, Who paid the price with His perfect blood and life that I pray! Amen.
© Copyright 2008 Kay V. Stocking
