HomeHouse of Prayer
The Lord declares, in Isaiah 56, “My house will be called a house of prayer.” It is this that Jesus quotes as He overturns the tables of the moneychangers in the Temple courts. They had corrupted the Temple by turning its focus from the main purpose of prayer and worship, to a place of commerce. We too, are in danger of getting side-tracked from the main purpose of the church.
It is interesting, isn’t it, that the Lord calls His house, a “house of prayer”? Not “a house of preaching,” or “a house of singing,” or “a house of fellowship” or any other important function of the church. His house—His church—will be called a house of prayer. And the Lord Himself is zealously defending this view of His house.
I have heard of many churches which are known for their preaching, for their music, or for their programs, but I have only heard of one church in my life that a person said, “The people in that church know how to pray.” He was speaking of a church of Spanish-speakers. The description is so intriguing. It makes me want to go—language barriers aside—just to see what an authentic praying church looks like. Most churches do not have prayer meetings. Many that still do have ‘prayer meetings’ have turned the meetings to teaching or fellowship times. But we need churches with prayer.
Most churches talk about prayer, read books on prayer and study it; but how many churches in America are really praying churches? Peter Deyneka, late missionary statesman, used to say this apt phrase: “Much prayer, much power. Little prayer, little power.” If our churches are not houses of prayer, they will not be places of the power of the Lord.
How would it look if our churches were houses of prayer? We get a description of what would happen in 2 Chronicles 7:14, which reads, “And if My people who are called by My Name would humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” What a marvelous description and promise that the people of God have. The Lord will hear (and therefore act). The Lord will bring about forgiveness. And the Lord will heal the land. In other words, the impact of the church of Jesus Christ will begin to break through the walls into the heart of the community. There will be power eminating from the church—not power manufactured by clever campaigns and programs, but power from the Almighty God! It is not by might, nor by power, that the church is established, but by the Spirit of God (Zechariah 3:6). Therefore, prayer must be the bedrock of the church.
Implementation
But how is this to be done? The particulars will need to be worked out in any given community. However, as general principles, the church must be taught and given opportunity for corporate prayer. That is, the church must have opportunities to pray together as a group. This will be uncomfortable for many people. For some, praying is as frightful as public speaking. But not every person needs to audibly pray in a prayer meeting. Even if not everyone prays, as the body is gathered together in prayer, we learn from one another. We learn what to pray for, how to pray for it, and then we have the great pleasure of seeing answers to prayer, which will cause us to praise God together. In short, regular corporate prayer helps the body begin to see, and participate in the work of the Lord.
As well as corporate prayer, the people of the church should also be encouraged toward individual prayer in their devotional lives. Many people need to be taught how to go about praying on their own. Indeed, prayer is a struggle for everyone. The Disciples themselves struggled to focused, let alone stay awake with Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemene. And the Disciples showed the struggle when they asked the Lord Jesus, “Lord, teach us to pray.” There are simple, and practical ways to help the people of God learn how to spend time in prayer. Church leadership often takes the simple and basic for granted, when often the people can be helped by the simple and the basic.
Beyond the learning of the basics of prayer, and methods to help in this most important endeavor, those who are seasoned in prayer, and those who have a burden and gift of intercession need to be equipped and encouraged in the prayer ministry of the church. I have never been a part of a church community where there were not great prayer warriors. They are often soft-spoken and humble, but true pillars of the church. Still, they need encouragement, and they must be made aware that their role is important within the body of Christ.
It is from this foundation of prayer that the work of the church must flow. The preaching, teaching, worship, fellowship, offerings, community outreach and missions must be doused in prayer.
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