I wrote this during the ice storm last month. This is a little bit crazy. It seems impossible right now. I normally write these blog posts as a topic for discussion or teaching. This one is different. It’s more of a prayer request. It may not seem urgent, but there’s an urgency in me I can’t get away from. So I had to share it. It just took me a while to do it.

I believe God wants us to have a real House of Prayer. A literal place. A physical location. Not for church services. Not for group meetings. A public place, always open, just for prayer.

This isn’t a new vision. It started over twenty years ago.

We were in the early stages of planting our first church. If you know me, you know everything has to have a name and a logo! We had confirmation of where we were supposed to start but didn’t have a name for the church. It was driving me crazy.

My mom was in the hospital for cancer surgery (which went well and she is still going strong!) I remember so vividly standing by her bed praying for her healing and recovery. In that same prayer, I also asked, “God, what are we supposed to call this new church? I need a name!”

Just as clear as someone speaking to me, but not an audible voice, I heard, “Isaiah 56:7” I had no idea what verse that was. At the time I carried this little compact King James Bible with tiny print. I thumbed through the thin fragile pages and squinted to read this.

Isaiah 56:7 (KJV)
Even them will I bring to my holy mountain,
and make them joyful in my house of prayer:
their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar;
for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people.

What an eye-opener. House of Prayer! That’s it! That’s the name.

A logo quickly followed. But that wasn’t the point.

The more I prayed about that name, the more I realized it wasn’t about the name of a church. It was about prayer. A place of prayer. That’s what we thought our vision was. Long story short, we launched the church and soon were so busy doing “church” that we couldn’t see the forest for the trees.

So here we are, a couple of decades later. We are several years into another church plant. Still portable. Still growing…(which is the “faith” way to say small.)

We’ve never been about having a building. It’s always been about people. But I can’t get away from this House of Prayer. Over the past few months, it has just been echoing in my thoughts and spirit.

What does that look like? I don’t know. How will we do this? I don’t have a clue. With all that’s going on in the world today, and all of the obstacles Today.Church is facing, it seems like a ridiculous concept to even talk about.

If you aren’t overwhelmed by what God has called you to do, why would you need God to accomplish it?

I really don’t even know why I’m writing this today (2/20/2021). Texas is literally iced over. We have families without power, with water damage – so many needs. And yet, I keep hearing:

House of Prayer.

In Matthew 21 and Mark 11, Jesus turned over the tables of those settling for God’s house being anything less than that.

What if that were a literal place? A real House of Prayer. Always open. For all people.

What if we had a place like that right now? With a generator and supplies that could have been a warming center or a place for people to stay in times of need. I know there are many other pressing needs right now, and we are mobilizing to help as many as we can. This post isn’t meant to distract from that.

So there it is. A crazy idea. What do we do now?

Let’s pray about it. Let’s ask God to provide. If you feel like this concept, this vision is something God is calling you to as well, let’s get the conversation going.

What does a real House of Prayer look like?