ONE THING: BUILDING THE HOUSE

In the whole scheme of history King David’s life was just a blip. It was a short span of time that could have been insignificant like the times of so many well known and famous people before and after him. Much was written about David. He was a son, a shepherd, a musician, a soldier, a psalmist, a husband, a leader, a father, a friend, a builder, and a king. But fame is short. Power, wealth, popularity last just a moment. A life is but a breath. In a short seventy odd years David died and rested with his Father. But that’s not the end of the story. Though gone for nearly three thousand years, David’s words live. His life, with its motivations, ambitions, and desires, made a permanent mark on the world and shaped the course of history.

One thing I ask, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the House of the Lord all the days of my life; To gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and seek him in his temple. Psalm 27:4

But David’s main goal in life was not the popularity, wealth, and power he received in abundance. Those things were never David’s primary goals. “One thing,” he wrote in Psalm 27, one thing he asks of the Lord; one thing he seeks. It wasn’t the thing we often give ourselves so ardently to. David’s “One Thing” was to “dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of his life.” He’d rather be a doorkeeper there (Psalm 84:10). He felt it better to spend one day in God’s courts than a thousand elsewhere. It was the ONE THING he asked. It was his life’s goal.

Of course David asked for other things. He asked for guidance in decisions, prayed for the life of his child, cried out about violence in the city, asked for forgiveness, sought healing, looked for God’s protection and provision, called out for justice, etc. David asked for all kinds of things but ONE THING was his heartbeat. ONE THING inspired, stirred and drew him – it was the pulse coursing through his life. He longed to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of his life.

David’s “one thing” might seem a waste to some. To some it appears unproductive, introspective, and even boring. Luke tells us about a woman named Anna who never left the temple but worshipped day and night with fasting and prayer (Luke 2:37). Her accomplishments are never mentioned. I’m sure many people in her day thought she was throwing her life away.

Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain those who build. We have built our own houses. We are asking for the privilege to labor in that which is the Fathers. We are in the process of starting a house of prayer. A key aspect of the house is the goal to establish night and day worship & prayer. That would mean twelve two hour prayer meetings every single day. For some that means six+ hours a day in the prayer room. It means active participation in the labor of prayer.

The House is designed primarily to minister to God. When I tell people about the House of Prayer I usually get strange looks. A furrow appears on their forehead and my sanity seems to be questioned (in many ways I understand; sometimes a furrow appears on my forehead while I question my sanity). Few understand the concept of a ministry whose central focus is talking to God about people (rather than talking to people about God). Few grasp the goal of gazing on the “beauty of the Lord,” seeking to be attractive to a beautiful God (rather than attracting crowds).

When Psalm 27:4 is read in church its implications are often ignored. David didn’t really mean “all the days” of his life, did he? He really didn’t mean that he asked one thing? Of course he did! This top priority and central motivating desire of David, the ONE THING David asked, meant every day in the courts of God. It meant prayer and worship without ceasing (1Thess 5:17). It meant a zeal for the house that was all consuming (John 2:17). It meant meeting everyday in the temple courts (Acts 2:46). All of David’s life came down to just ONE THING; that he might dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of his life.

Of course he didn’t do it. Unlike Anna, he was unable to worship day and night. But David wasn’t satisfied with that situation. He did something about it. He structured a tabernacle that operated everyday of the year. He organized it so that 288 musicians worked at it day and night; some old, some young, some teachers, some students (1Chronicles 9:33; 25:7-8). And he took an active part in it. Unfortunately for David he had a day job. He had to raise his family and conquer kingdoms and all the other stuff that is required in a “work a day world.” Yet in the midst of it, his heart was in the courts. No doubt he frequented it as much as he could. Like Joshua the son Nun he was reluctant to leave the Tent of Meeting (Exodus 33:11). He continued to be first and foremost a worshipper and psalmist of the Lord.

The Tabernacle of David was dedicated for worship. Based on the tent of meeting and the tabernacle of Moses it was a place of perpetual worship. It wasn’t primarily a place to get educated (though people learned), it wasn’t a fellowship center (though believers enjoyed one another), it wasn’t an outreach center (though it shone with the glory of God), and it wasn’t a Sunday morning church meeting. David’s tabernacle was a place of day and night worship. It was a place of continual prayer. The lamp of God was never to go out there; the fire on the altar was never to be extinguished. It was centered on the WORD and gave birth to the Psalms. It was built to become a house of prayer for all nations (Isaiah 57:6). It was a place to meditate on the scriptures, seek God, sing, praise, gaze on his beauty, worship, pray, and intercede- 24/7 -for the glory of God. And it bore fruit. Prophets spoke up, teachers brought instruction, disciples followed, servants met needs, and the nations heard the wonders of God.

Building the House of Prayer was agonizing for David. He made mistakes that brought disaster (1Samuel 6:3-7), his worship brought permanent disruption to his family (1Samuel 16), and he found himself unable to fulfill the standards of holiness God required (2 Samuel 11; 1Chronicles 21:1; 22:8). Through the first House of Prayer God prepared Israel for a kingdom that would bring forth the first coming of the Messiah. I believe another House of Prayer is needed to prepare the bride for the second coming of the Messiah.

In the last two years God has been specifically speaking to me about his house of prayer. But the process of catching a vision for that kind of house began long ago in my life. I must admit I have been reluctant to listen and the process has been agonizing for me, my family, and even friends. And to some degree that agony continues. But it is better to be in pursuit of ONE THING for ONE DAY, than to live a thousand days in pursuit of a thousand other things. It is better to be a humble gatekeeper in God’s tent than to live in any other kind of house. Even if it costs much the process of becoming a House of Prayer is worth our best efforts. It is a quest for the fullness of God, not just in our own personal lives, but also in our churches, community and world.

In many ways it is a bit presumptuous to call ourselves an iHOP. Yet the name, derived from the words of Isaiah and Jesus, communicates where we want to go. His house will be called a house of prayer for all nations. To get there it is necessary to pursue an active building process.

HOW DO YOU BUILD AN iHOP?

Unless the Lord builds the house they labor in vain those who build it. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchmen guard it vain. Psalm 127:1

1. An iHOP is built in partnership with the Lord. On the one hand God is the builder. On the other hand it requires labor- long hours and hard work. Reading about how Moses and David built the tabernacle and Solomon and Zerbubabel built the temple confirms this. God lays the burden for the house on the shoulders of people who then proceed to build. Apart from God it is vain. With God it requires labor- sacrifice, sweat, and tears.

2. Building the house from the base of a church has the advantage of already having the foundation of the apostles and prophets with Christ Jesus as the cornerstone. But it still requires considerable transition. That means a process of significant change. That change requires a removing of the old so that the new can be built. This can be painful especially since those most committed have invested sacrifice, sweat and tears in the old. This is not throwing the baby out with the bath water. The living baby is Christ among us (that’s foundational). It’s the bathtub that is being replaced.

3. Building is a process. Intense focus and attention needs to be paid in one area while another area is not yet established. For example we have begun with intercession because we have much asking to do in the building process. It doesn’t mean that we won’t pursue contemplation- certainly we will AND ARE but the visible work is on intercession. Asking for laborers, seeking God’s watching/guarding, pursuing his blueprints, etc. is critical in the early stages.

4. Building is messy- there is debris, sawdust, tools, etc all around. The process of change will be messy as well. There are also always mistakes in the building process (just ask Jim Champion and King David). Grace, forgiveness, and understanding are needed while we build.

IMPLICATIONS

1. Intercession needs to continue. Unless we are actively asking for laborers, seeking wisdom and revelation, praying for unity, etc. we can not expect victory.

2. A structure for regular ongoing training is imperative. This structure needs to communicate the heart of the house, over-all values and priorities, and practical know how. One of the difficulties is going to be to impart heart and yet dealing with the many practicals. Training can happen alongside prayer sets but eventually they will need to be separated.

3. Communication needs to grow.

4. Pursuit of 24/7 is an immense undertaking. It means 12 two hour prayer sets every single day; 84 two hour prayer sets a week (360 per month). This raises serious questions:

a. How will we people so many prayer sets with intercessors & worship teams?

b. How do we avoid the temptation of establishing just one or two prayer sets and being satisfied with that?

c. Basic procedure: Do we start with one prayer set and perfect it or do we begin and develop multiple sets. My own feeling is to start with more the one set for two reasons: 1. the goal of “getting it right” becomes all consuming and other groups are never begun; 2. once one group (or prayer set) is established it will have the tendency to hinder any other sets. The well developed set is always more attractive (so the developing one is neglected).