“… For My house will be called a house of prayer for all the peoples.”
Isaiah 56:7c (NASB1995)
The phrase I highlight from Isaiah 56:7 today is well known by many believers, mainly because it was quoted by Jesus when He scourged the temple of the traders and money changers (Matthew 21:12-13) – “it is written, “My house shall be called a house of prayer”; but you are making it a robbers’ den.”
What I was encouraged by in Isaiah was how the verse was part of a larger story; that the temple of God would be open to “all the peoples” as well as the Jews. The call to be a people of prayer is for everyone, regardless of race. Indeed, God promises in verse 4 that Gentiles who seek Him will have an inheritance in His house, as sons and daughters. This promise still stands today for all who are saved through Jesus Christ and believe in God, His Father – the house of prayer is part of our heritage.
Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.
James 5:16
Dear Reader, we live in a world where we feel more powerless and vulnerable by the day. The law of the land is more hostile to God, His Word, and His children. But we can be encouraged; we have within us His Holy Spirit – “a treasure in earthen vessels” (2 Corinthians 4:7). We have direct access to the throne room of Heaven and our Father, that we may come before Him in prayer. Our house of prayer may be His House (our church), our home, our car, and our heart – wherever we call on Him, He will hear us. Who needs access to our politicians when we have the ear of the Creator of the universe, our Father God?
This is an updated edition of a post originally published on Devotional Treasures
