Daily Reading for Thursday, Jan. 17: Prayer

“For My house will be called a house of prayer for all the peoples." Isaiah 56:7b
The New American Standard Bible

“Prayer is perfectly at home in the house of God. It is no stranger, no mere guest; it belongs there. It has a peculiar affinity for the place, and has, moreover, a divine right there, being set therein by divine appointment and approval.
The inner chamber is a sacred place for personal worship. The house of God is a holy place for united worship.”
E.M. Bounds

When we examine the core value of Prayer as it relates to the church, we must ask ourselves, “How much precedence do we as a church place on prayer?” We as individuals pray in our homes, our closets, our cars, our offices. But how much time do we spend praying together as a body for the body? How many times have we neglected the opportunities to pray with other members of our body? If we feel that the “church” does not place enough emphasis on prayer, it is up to each and every one of us to restore that emphasis to its rightful place. It is not up to the pastor or the elders. If we are to be a praying church, we must be a praying people. We must not neglect either our prayer times in solitude or our corporate prayer times. Both are necessarily to have a vital, vibrant healthy house of prayer.