Message
In , Jesus stated that His house is to be called a house of prayer, not a den of thieves. Although He was talking about the physical temple at Jerusalem in that passage, you should note that it also applies to you because you are God’s temple (). This means that God expects you to pray always. Christians who do not pray or who only pray occasionally create avenues for the enemy to attack and defile them.
As a Christian, God wants you to be a house of prayer; He wants you to pray without ceasing (). tells us that Elijah prayed fervently for rain not to fall in Israel, and God answered his prayer. After 42 months of drought, he prayed fervently again that the rain should fall, and there was a heavy downpour (). During the drought, Elijah prayed for a widow’s dead son to be restored to life, and God heard him (). He was a man of consistent prayer, and he always received answers to his prayers. Those who prioritise prayer enjoy consistent answers to their prayers.
In today’s Bible reading, Jesus told the parable of a widow who persistently disturbed an unrighteous judge until he responded to her. The reason Jesus told this parable was so that men would pray always and not faint (). This tells us that when a fellow is not praying, he or she is already fainting. The widow’s persistence eventually paid off, as the judge responded to her and avenged her of her adversary. When you are consistent in praying, you are assured of answers to your prayers.
When a fellow prays consistently, he or she will not only receive answers to his or her prayers, but the person will be granted greater access to the secrets of God. says, “The secret of the LORD is with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant.” Nobody shows a random visitor who visits his or her home the key to a hidden vault, but such a secret is typically revealed to intimate friends.
Every Christian must recognise that intimacy is cultivated in the place of prayer, and they must strive to become intimate with their heavenly Father. This is because the more you pray, the greater access you will have to God’s heart and secrets. Beloved, are you an intimate friend of God?