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God's House is a House of Prayer for All Peoples, by Pastor Charlie Handren

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God’s House is a House of Prayer for All Peoples
By Pastor Charlie
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 year 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; Hebrews 7:25), and 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 clarify the Lord’s direction for the church over the next few 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 heart and house, and we are his house.
Part of growing as a house of prayer in 2017 will be sitting at the feet of some who’ve gone before us and who have much to teach us. Therefore, after articulating some basic principles of prayer over the next few months, we will dedicate our devotionals to hearing stories from George Müller, Hudson Taylor, E. M. Bounds, Andrew Murray, and others. 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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