Isaiah 56-58
"these I will
bring to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer. Their burnt
offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house will be
called a house of prayer for all nations.”" (Isaiah 56:7, NIV)
One of the great messages of the bible is that God wants to
redeem and restore all people. Though Israel is His chosen people, they were
chosen to reveal what a relationship with God was supposed to look like. They
kicked against and resisted God’s guidance in their lives, but that did not
stop God from loving them or the other nations. God has an open door policy.
All who will come to Him with repentance in their heart are welcomed.
We no longer bring burnt offerings and sacrifices, Jesus
fulfilled that requirement. Instead God wants us as living sacrifices willing
to submit to His will for our lives as we receive Jesus as not only our Savior
but our Lord.
"Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that
we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." (Hebrews
4:16, NIV) God invites us to come before Him, though He is greater than any
king to stand on this earth, He invites us to lift our worries, our concerns,
our desires, our needs, our words of praise before His throne. God’s house is a
house of prayer.
We miss the significance
of this offer. We miss the great privilege God has given us in inviting us to
come to him in prayer. We have the ear of God Almighty the creator of heaven
and earth. He desires to hear from us. Not just His chosen nation, but people
from all nations. Not just the priest who can intercede for the people, but we
are all invited to come and speak to Him.
The leaders of nations
receive few people into their office to converse with them and to seek favor;
the heads of large companies do not have time to entertain the thoughts of
multiple people. God invites us to come with confidence and extends mercy and
grace to help us as we lift our voice to Him in our time of need.
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