God’s House is a House of Prayer for All Peoples

In Isaiah 56:7 the Lord said that he would bring the Gentiles into his house of prayer and make them joyful there, for his house is a house of prayer for all peoples. And as we learned last September when we meditated together on the place of prayer in the life of the church, the primary reason God’s house is a house of prayer is because God himself is in a constant state of prayer. The Holy Spirit is ever-interceding for us (Romans 8:26), the Son is ever-interceding for us (Romans 8:34b; Heb 7:25), and thus the Father is ever-receiving their intercession.

Although the details of this inter-Trinitarian conversation changed after creation, and after sin entered creation, this mode of communication is eternal. God has always been and will always be in a constant state of prayer, and to come near to him in Christ is to enter into that eternal conversation; that eternal joy; that eternal way of life.

The privilege of prayer is, thus, beyond comprehension but it is the privilege of all who believe in Jesus Christ and are therefore in a never-ending relationship with God the Father.

Over the next few months, the leaders and members of Glory of Christ Fellowship will be seeking to discern to the Lord’s will for the church over the next five years. As the process of discerning his vision progresses, we will surely see many things but chief among them all will be this—Glory of Christ must be a house of prayer, for this is the nature of our Father’s house and we are his house.

Part of growing as a house of prayer in 2016 will be sitting at the feet of some who’ve gone before us and have much to teach us. Therefore, we will be dedicating the devotionals for at least the next five months to hearing from such people of prayer as George Müller, Hudson Taylor, E. M. Bounds, and Andrew Murray. Please take a few minutes each week to read these devotionals and to grow in your life of prayer, that we as a people might grow all the more into a house of prayer.

Prayer Focus: Pray that the Lord will capture our hearts with the great privilege of prayer, that we might often be found in prayer privately and corporately. Pray that our Father would shape us into his house of prayer.

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