A Place of Prayer

 DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE

A PLACE OF PRAYER

Luke 19:45-48

45 Then he entered the temple area and began driving out those who were selling. 46 "It is written," he said to them, "'My house will be a house of prayer'; but you have made it 'a den of robbers.'"  47 Every day he was teaching at the temple. But the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the leaders among the people were trying to kill him. 48 Yet they could not find any way to do it, because all the people hung on his words.

NIV

Jesus quoted both Isaiah and Jerimiah as he entered the temple, where there should have been a prayer and spiritual contemplation but had been turned into a common marketplace. What made matters worse was that men were taking advantage of those who did not have the proper type of currency or sacrifice, engaging in dishonest gain, a den of robbers. This is what men who love money rather than God have disgraced God’s house. We have to put the indignation of Jesus in context and not think it is right for us to become angry. This is all about the house of God. Of course, our church today is nothing like the temple in Jerusalem, but it is still a place of worship, a sanctuary where we meet with the living God. Certainly, we know that God is always with us, and in fact, the Spirit dwells within us. However, there still is something special about the sanctuary in our church. The whole building is just a building, and it has been used for all sorts of gatherings or events that have nothing to do with spiritual matters as it has been used as a voting place for example. But the sanctuary has been kept sacred and held as only the place to meet with God, to worship him there. Yet, it has not been as sacred as it should be as we enter for worship. Perhaps we should be more reverent in this special place of worship, holding it to a higher standard than the rest of the building. Perhaps we should leave our bantering laughter, and social hour exchanges at the door and be a little more quiet as we prepare to enter worship to our God. We wonder if we have, in a sense, turned our church into a den of money changers. Let us remember, that this is the house of God and a place of prayer.