What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” (II Corinthians 6:16)
Grasping the profundity of being the temple of God will be aided by understanding the function of the temple in the Old Testament. As the temple was the place of… we who are in Christ are the people of… individually and corporately.
A House of Prayer. Isaiah prophesied: Even them I will bring to My holy mountain, And make them joyful in My house of prayer. For My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations. This description of the temple reflects Solomon’s dedication of it as recorded in I Kings 8:28-30 – the place of which You said, “My name shall be there,” that You may hear the prayer which Your servant makes toward this place. The Gospels record Jesus chasing out the greedy money changers (“den of thieves”) from the temple after which He quoted Isaiah in calling it a house of prayer.
That temple no longer stands and those who are in Christ are the temple of God. The Spirit who dwells in the believer, Paul says, makes intercession for the saints. At times in our weakness to do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the indwelling Spirit is our helper because He knows us – He who searches hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is.
Prayer is singular focus on and bold approach to the infinite, loving Creator/Redeemer. In the Old Testament believers prayed toward the temple in recognition of the fact that God was there. Today God resides in us by His Spirit and it is our privilege to freely approach Him with adoration, thanksgiving and requests. We no longer need to be in a particular location or bow toward a building – we can pray without ceasing because God is there drawing us into unceasing communion and fellowship with Him in spirit and in truth.
You are a house of prayer. Engage the profound privilege that is yours in Christ. Make it so that Jesus would call you His house of prayer and not something else.