MONDAY, APRIL 3, 2023
“The Chaos of Worship”
Mark 11:15-17
Daniel Copeland
This takes place during Jesus’s triumphal arrival in Jerusalem. The whole city and the nation are excited. He came riding on a donkey’s colt. This was foretold by the prophet Zechariah in chapter 9 verse 9. What a celebration. People were singing “Hosanna, Hosanna in the highest, Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.”
Jesus then enters the temple and cleans it out. He turns over the money changers table. According to Old Testament law, any coin, theirs was a Roman coin, had to be converted to the temple currency. The Pharisees made a tidy profit. He then refused to allow them to bring any merchandise into the temple. Why? He said the temple was to be known as a “House of Prayer.” There was complete chaos the day the Lord Jesus took over the worship in the temple.
This Lenten season let’s ask the Lord to bring “chaos” in our personal worship. Invite him to come in and turn over all the places we want to hide our pet sins…sins like laziness, bitterness, unforgiveness. All these things will take your heart from God.
Keep the distractions away. Guard your times of worship such as church and your personal prayer time. There was a reason God considered these important. Unless we spend time focused on our Savior and God, the distractions of the world will keep us from our greatest privilege of all, knowing God and being known by Him.
Prayer: Let our prayer to God match Psalm 19:14 “May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock, and my Redeemer.” Amen.