Prayer is everything to God

​Isaiah 56:7: “Even them I will bring to My holy mountain, and make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on My altar; for My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations”.

Prayer is everything to God. It is a barometer of a believer’s spiritual life, and a test of a church’s love. Most churches that begin well in prayer find it enormously difficult to maintain consistency and zeal in prayer for the long term. How can we overcome the snares that hinder prayer? Is private and corporate prayer on your priority list? In the above text, insight is provided into God’s burden for a praying people:

1) Because God is always drawing us to prayer, and back to prayer when we wander, “I will bring”, (2) the best preparation for prayer is walking in holiness “to My holy mountain”, (3) the personal effect of prayer, “make them joyful”, (4) the results of Spirit assisted and Christ mediated prayer are the acceptance of our worship and fruitfulness in our service, “their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on My alter”, and (5) prayer points to God’s main interest in organic fellowship and inner communion with Him rather than external rituals, “for My house shall be called a house of prayer”.

Prayer is the means for Christians and churches to obey our high callings of: worship, intercession, and holiness, “…you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Pet. 2:5). “Prayer does not fit us for the greater work, prayer is the greater work.” (Oswald Chambers). Does your church have a prayer meeting? Will you ask God to strengthen your prayer life? Therefore, press on because there is hope: Jesus “always lives to make intercession for us” (Heb. 7:25). - Pastor Joe Jacowitz