Daily Journal: 20 November

Prayer is Precious to God

The belief in prayer is sacred to many religions. Prayer is not only talking to Deity, it is being heard. If a god cannot be heard, prayer is ineffective. But if God can hear and understand, has a heart of mercy and compassion to the person praying and is able to respond true to His character of justice, it is effective.

James 5:16 (NIV)

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

We are made righteous in the Lord, Christ Jesus. Isaiah 56:1-8 is a beautiful explanation of those who can come to God in prayer and expect to be heard.

Isaiah 56:6-7 (NCV)

Foreigners will join the Lord to worship him and love him, to serve him, to obey the law about the Sabbath, and to keep my agreement. I will bring these people to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer.

A house of prayer is sacred to the Lord. It is a place of worship, of love, of servanthood, of agreement, and of joy. Jesus took exception to the temple that was supposed to be used for this purpose but was abusing its purpose.

Matthew 21:13 (BSB)

And He declared to them, “It is written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer.’ But you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’”

Jesus’ righteous anger was manifest when He saw the practise and effectiveness of prayer being robbed from the people. He flipped over the robbers’ tables. He confiscated their merchandise. He physically pushed them out of the temple and sent them clambering. Such was His indignation. Such is the importance of prayer.

Prayer is precious to God; the God who can answer it. Keeping the temple of our heart right before Him so that we can worship, come into agreement, love, be of service and receive His joy, is of utmost importance to Him. Being robbed of that is of great consternation to Him. When we feel we’re being robbed of that, the remedy is found in James 5:16. Confess your sins, remedy your heart and nothing can steal your right to come into the temple of the Lord and be heard, and to receive.