A Den of Thieves
The actor playing this role, races across the stage and pulls things down from hands. Clearly things are not as they should be. The music swell behind the action, as the choir adds more words in song.
"What once was a house of prayer,
You've turned to a robber's lair,
You've made My house a den of thieves."
The buying and selling has been going on in the Jewish temple for ages. It may have started out innocently enough, but has grown far out of proportion. It takes something drastic for the people to see what could be. It takes intentional anger and action to return things to a state of peace.
This morning I woke with this song running through my head from The Choice musical. I suddenly connected it to myself in a fresh way. If Jesus lives in me, by his Spirit, then I'm his house. I had been awake for many hours, with anxious thoughts on a variety of subjects flowing through my mind. I was being robbed of sleep and the thief was worry. The culprit was identified and was now standing in the light of my flashlight. But how to get him to leave, that's the problem, especially when he returns nightly.
I cannot throw this thief out in my own strength. I need someone bigger and stronger to race across the stage and pull things down; to demand that these thieves leave.
I only have one effective tool at my disposal - prayer. I need to replace the anxious thoughts with those of truth. I need to intentionally focus on what attributes of God are stronger than my problem. I can break from the swirl of anxiety to the peace of sleep when I am intentional with words of prayer. There is a strong and mighty one living with me in my house, waiting for me to say that I need his help to sleep.
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