Then Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all those who were selling and buying in the temple courts...He said to them, "It is written, 'My house will be called a house of prayer,' but you are turning it into a den of robbers!" (Matthew 21: 12,13)
This past Sunday was Palm Sunday and while it's easy to recall Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem, it's easy to forget the scenes that disciples and others witnessed as Jesus came storming into the temple grounds. The temple was to be a place of worship, but when Jesus arrived He saw throngs of vendors and customers that had set up a marketplace instead. The Messiah was outraged and began turning over tables and setting the livestock free. I am sure that it was pandemonium as people scrambled to pick up the loose money from the ground and the animals ran away.
God opened my eyes and revealed a new truth to me after reading this passage of Scripture. If our bodies are "living temples," shouldn't they also be houses of prayer? How much time out of our daily routine is spent in prayer...a few fleeting moments, or even worse, none at all? I am guilty of both. There are days when I pray and am focused. Sadly, there are plenty of times that I breeze through my prayer list and don't take the time to even attempt to listen to what God may be trying to say to me.
Could you imagine a relationship with someone you supposedly love that is only one-sided? That must be how our Loving Father views His sheep, myself included, at times.
I feel that Jesus' words, as He stormed the temple, were also a call to arms for His followers. He loves us and wants to hear us come to Him in prayer every day. This week especially, I am going to dig deeper and spend more time in prayer as we approach Easter.
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