Last weekend my husband and I visited with our son and his family in Arkansas. We were there for our granddaughter’s appearance in a play and to watch our grandson play basketball.

One of our greatest joys when we visit with them is to attend worship on Sunday. We aren’t able to do that often, but it is a special time for our family to enjoy a worship service together.

Sunday’s sermon was about prayer. The congregation there has spent the past year studying prayer, and this month is the wrap-up for their study. So we heard two great lessons, one in worship and one in Bible study.

This week I want to share a little of these two lessons with you. I hope the thoughts these two men presented will give you something to think about as they have me.

The minister asked this question, “If Jesus visited our service, what would He say?” His text came from Mark 11:15-19 where Jesus threw the money changers out of the temple.

Jesus was angry with the money changers because what was happening in God’s house was not what should have happened. They had made God’s house a place of dishonesty.

Even though God does not live in a physical building, His presence, in a spiritual sense, should cause us to think about what He sees in us as a church. Remember that the church is the people, not the building.

The single most important thing for the church is that we should be devoted to prayer. Remember in Acts 2:42, Luke writes that the new believers “Devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers” (ESV). 

Nothing is going to be accomplished without prayer. We can see this all through the book of Acts as Luke recorded the various activities of the apostles.

Acts 3:1—Peter and John went to pray at 3:00 P.M. They were regular visitors to the temple for teaching and for prayer.

Acts 4:24—Peter and John were summoned before the council to be rebuked for their teaching. They were commanded not to teach or speak in the name of Jesus. When they left the council, they went to be with their friends to report what had happened. As a group they prayed, not for deliverance, but for boldness.

Acts 6:1-6—When the Grecian widows were neglected, and the apostles had the people choose men to assist with the problem. The said, “But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” Prayer was of primary importance for the early church.

Acts 9:36-40—At the death of Dorcas, Peter went to the room where she lay. There he knelt and prayed.

Acts 10:9—At mid-day, Peter went on the housetop for the purpose of praying.

Acts 12:1-16—After the death of James, King Herod had Peter arrested and thrown in prison. An angel appeared in Peter’s cell and released him. Peter went to the house of Mary, the mother of John Mark; and there he found the church gathered for the purpose of prayer.

Acts 13:1-3—The church sent Paul and Barnabas on their first missionary journey with prayers.

Acts 20:17-38—Paul called for the elders at Ephesus to come to him. He was to journey to Jerusalem, not knowing what he would face. When he was ready to leave, “He knelt down and prayed with them all. And there was much weeping on the part of all; they embraced Paul and kissed him, being sorrowful most of all because of the word he had spoken, that they would not see his face again.”

Acts 21:4-6—Here Paul was in Tyre, and he sought out other Christians. The people gathered on the beach where they knelt and prayed with Paul.

So what does it mean to be a house of prayer?

• First, we may need to go back to some things of years ago—a more reverent attitude about prayer (including kneeling to pray); Wednesday evening prayer meetings (or other times of the week).

• Second, we should offer prayers at all times and in all places for all kinds of reasons.

• Third, our children need to grow up thinking and knowing that prayer is the most natural thing in the world.

So what do you say or do when you don’t know what to do or say? PRAY!

Sandra Oliver