Dear Sister,

Dear Sister,

I believe I may have stumbled upon an opportunity—or perhaps an issue within the church—that our brothers and sisters in Christ can help address.

Let me begin by saying that God has a purpose for everything under the sun. However, when Jesus, the Head of the Church, gives us a few spiritual “BLUE'S CLUES” concerning the condition of His church, we need to pay attention!

In the three Synoptic Gospels, Jesus reminds us of God's expectations for His house:

“My house will be called a house of prayer,” but you are making it “a den of robbers.” (Matthew 21:13, NIV; see also Mark 11:17 and Luke 19:46)

Now, I cannot speak for every Christian church in the world, but I have visited enough churches to notice something concerning: Prayer does not always appear to be the first priority on the church's agenda.

I remember arriving early for service at one church and making my way to the altar to pray. Before I could finish saying, “AMEN! THANK YOU, JESUS!” I heard the sound of a vacuum cleaner!

Now, don't misunderstand me. I appreciate a clean church! But that experience caused me to reflect on a much deeper question:

Are we, the Church of God in Christ Jesus, truly recognizing and exercising the power of prayer?

Here is my proposed solution: Establish a time of prayer at your church—or faithfully participate in the one already established.

My church has a designated time for prayer, and yours may as well. If not, consider asking your church leadership whether you and others might gather an hour before service to pray.

Yes, I know! Getting to church an hour early may require everything in you, especially if you have little ones to prepare. But think about the spiritual example you would be setting!

What a beautiful opportunity to teach our children that whether we are at home or in the house of God, our knees still bow before Yahweh!

Prayer should never be treated as an interruption to the church's activities. Rather, it should be the spiritual foundation upon which those activities are built.

Consider this: Praying at church is much like cleaning your house before guests arrive. We prepare our homes to welcome visitors, so why wouldn't we prepare our hearts and the atmosphere of worship through prayer?

For Christ's sake, and for the sake of every soul who enters His house, let us arrive with a willingness to spiritually prepare the house of prayer.

After all, the church is not merely a place where we gather to hear about God. It is a place where we should intentionally gather to seek Him!

Let us do our part to ensure that God's house remains what Jesus declared it should be—a house of prayer!

For His cause,

Janie