2 minute read.
Daily Reading: Exodus 12:14-13:16 ESV, Matthew 20:29-21:22 ESV, Psalm 25:16-22 ESV, Proverbs 6:12-15 ESV
Daily Verse: “He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.” (Matthew 21:13 ESV)
PROSEUCHE (4335): “Worship; by implication oratory (chapel); pray earnestly to God, the most frequently used term.”[I]
Keep prayer sacred.
Jesus quotes the prophet Jeremiah when He calls the Temple a “den of robbers” (Jeremiah 7:11 ESV). People committed sins in the temple, feeling safe from God’s punishment because they occupied His house. But God doesn’t play those games. Our heavenly Father expects us to keep the temple holy. Jesus’ anger arises because the merchants cause distraction in the temple courts.
“Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So, glorify God in your body.” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20 ESV)
Christ lives in us when we place our faith in Him. As a result, our bodies become God’s temple. Keeping our temples free from the distraction of sin requires earnest conversations with God.
Prayer worships.
Proseuche, prayer’s root word, means oral worship. In other words, talking to God. As quickly as I sin, I try to confess. “Forgive me, Lord,” words I utter often, begins my confession. My thoughts require the most repentance. Internally, Jesus sweeps the merchants from my brain as I confess my sinful thoughts to Him. Once I rid myself of the things which distract me from God, I can connect with my Creator.
Conversations with God don’t end. Each morning, when I finish my quiet time with the Big Guy, I get on my knees for prayer. At the end of the chat, I say, “In Jesus’ name, I pray.” Then I get up and go about my business. However, my conversation with God continues throughout the day.
“Three Word Prayers” help me keep the conversation going. When I begin to drift off track, uttering a plea to God helps me stay on task. Whether “Grace, not Anger,” “Faith, not Fear,” or “Pray, not Panic,” all draw my thoughts back to God.
Keep your conversations going with God. When thoughts try to distract you from the King, let Jesus sweep them from your mind. Refocus, again and again, on God with prayer. Keep your temple holy by continuously chatting with God.
[i] Strong, J., & Strong, J. (2010). The New Strong’s expanded exhaustive concordance of the Bible. (p 213) Thomas Nelson
