My house shall be a House of Prayer

By the time you read this I should be well on my way to my Bucks Weekend. John, Chris and I are going to the Scottish island of Iona. It is planned to be a time of birding and prayer. We are praying also for a time of Kairos.

We will be staying in a House of Prayer. This last bit seems to have been planned by God! It has significance for me because for some time Debs and I have been living with the vision that our home will become on marriage a House of Prayer. We have been practising praying in the run up to our wedding!

God introduced the idea to both our hearts individually, and so when we started to talk with each other about it it was like we were already prepared to say yes to each other.

The difficult bit might be the how. But we are already becoming more intentional about our prayers. Also deliberately seeking to be intercessors. To assist people with or without faith by coming alongside them and praying for their intentions.

Our experience is that prayer changes things. That if you want things to improve you pray. The cynic may say that this is not empirically measurable. I would say that it is measurable but not using your yard stick. Just in the same way that electricity is not visible to the naked eye.

The interesting thing is we are not going to be the only House of Prayer. We have heard that independent of us God is planting at least two others. One of which we learnt is going to be in Clarkson Street, near the Church we are part of.

The title of this week's post comes from the quote "my house shall be a House of Prayer for all nations" from Isaiah 56.7 in the old testament. Which is also quoted by Jesus when he cast out the money changers "It is written," he said to them, "'My house will be a house of prayer'; but you have made it 'a den of robbers.'" Luke 19:46 NIV

So you can see perhaps why I am excited to be going to Iona. And to be staying in a House of Prayer.

Dear Lord, please help us to know again the power of your Holy Spirit in our lives. Help us when we pray to realise our own weakness but allow us anyway to draw strength from your love. Amen

I will post at Www.yourkairos.com if there are additional readings /thoughts