My House Shall Be…

January 28, 2006 at 7:32 pm | Posted in Character in Today's World, Christianity | 4 Comments

In order to allow the readers to read this post, and comment, I’m going to keep this on top.

What is prayer? That seems like a simple enough question with a simple enough answer. However, if we really look into it, we find that it’s more important and maybe complicated than we think. It involves more than just bowing our heads before every meal, and kneeling by our bed before we get up or go to sleep. How powerful is it? What does it do? How often should we do it? 1 Thessalonians 5:17 KJV instructs us to,

“Pray without ceasing;”

. “Now, come on,” you might say, “I’ve got a lot on my mind sometimes, and I’m sure God would want me to concentrate on what I’m doing, so I can do it with excellence.” Absolutely! This doesn’t mean that we have to continually be talking to God. What we need to do, is look at this scripture in context. So,

14Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men. 15See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men. 16Rejoice evermore

What are these scriptures? They are instructions, in how to live our lives. So going on ahead to verse 17, “Pray without ceasing”, and looking at it in context…it’s a life style. Our lives should be living prayers to God. Princeton’s Wordnet Dictionary defines “prayer” as: “the act of communicating with a deity”. We need to walk (walk as in live our lives) in such a way that we have open communication with the Father, so that we can hear when He’s speaking. For instance, there is a story told, (a true story, happened to a lady at our church), of a woman who was driving home late at night. She was tired, it had been a long day, and she wanted to go home. She was driving by a grocery store that was closed, with a lone car in the parking lot, when she felt the Lord speak to her.

“You’ve got to be kidding, Lord!” But the urge was unmistakable. “I can’t do that! I’ll look like an idiot! I mean, if you had told me to go stand on one foot, that would be different. But I can’t go stand on my head in front of that soda machine!” So she kept on driving, arguing with God. Unfortunately she was so entranced in trying to prove to God that He was wrong, that she missed her turn, and had to go back. As she passed the grocery store once again, she felt the same urge, the same voice, telling her to do the same thing. She gave in. “Alright Lord. I do NOT understand it, but I’ll do it.” So, she pulled into the parking lot, got out of her car, walked over to the machine, and did a headstand. As she did she wondered how long she was supposed to do this, when a lady jumped out of the car, with a gun in her hand, and tears streaked across her face. She dropped the gun and ran up to the lady on her head and starting sobbing again. “I’ve had a horrible week. I lost my job, my husband died, and my daughter is in jail. I was going to commit suicide. I told God, that if He was real, and if He existed, to have somebody stand on their head in front of that soda machine. I never would have believed it. Now I have something to live for.” Something like that wouldn’t have happened, if that lady had not been living in a state of open communication with God. God speaks to us in a still small voice. In this world of busy rushing, and noisy work, do we live our lives so that we can hear when God speaks to us? As demonstrated by that story above, and by many others, prayer is powerful. It saved that lady’s life. Not only that, but prayer is an effective weapon for tearing down strongholds. Prayer is powerful. James 5:16 NIV says,

“Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.”

The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. It can heal, it can drive out demons, it can do much. Prayer is also important, Jesus said, “It is written: ‘My house shall be a house of prayer.” He didn’t say, “My house shall be a house of worship.” Or a house of missions. Or a house of evangelism. Or a house of Sunday morning instruction classes. He said a house of prayer. And guess what?

“…your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God…” -1 Corinthians 6:19.

You are to be a house of prayer. In conclusion, and aside from a specific petition, living our lives as a prayer, is powerful and effective. Because that’s what God’s house is designed to be. And when we strive to make God’s house what it was designed to be, God is in the house. So go, live your life in a powerful and effective way. Live your life in a state of constant prayer. God bless!