“It is written, “ he said
to them, “ ‘My house will be a house of prayer’; but you have made it ‘a den of
robbers.’ ” Luke
19.46
The origins of these two
references by Jesus are interesting. Jeremiah (7.11) refers to the unfaithfulness
of the Jews. They steal and murder, commit adultery and perjury, burn incense to Baal and
follow other gods. Then they come and stand before me in this house
declaring themselves to be safe. Yet, in reality, they have made God’s house a den
of thieves.
Isaiah, on the other hand,
talks of foreigners who bind themselves to the Lord to serve him, to love the
name of the Lord, and to worship him. These “foreigners” keep the
Sabbath and hold fast to God’s covenant. God says, “These I will bring to my holy
mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer.”
And this release of foreigners
to worship the Lord God Almighty comes by the work of the servant of the Lord,
the Son of Man.
Jesus has released me, so that I might be part of God’s
house of prayer. I can do this only because of His work on my behalf. I praise
Him for this. May I never mistreat this amazing privilege He has wrought for
me. May I truly, respectfully come to God’s house of prayer and join faithfully
with other “foreigners”, binding myself to Him, serving Him, loving Him and
worshipping Him.
O wonderful God,
I thank You, precious Jesus, for allowing me to become part of the
family of God with the privilege of entry into the House of Prayer. I come in
respectful adoration. I bind myself to You. Let me serve You, love and worship
You. May I hold fast to the covenant of love that unites us.
I know joy in You and I pray for an increase in joy. Hold me close,
dear Lord. Help me to spread the message of love. Release me, please, into all the world to tell of Your love for
all people and things.
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